A Twisted Sense of Fate
by crity2re
Summary: Two people get a 'nudge' in the right direction...by the wrong person. Ginny and Harry with a hint of Ron and Hermione Takes place in Harry's 6th year. COMPLETE!
1. A Perfect Holiday

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.

CHAPTER ONE: A PERFECT HOLIDAY

The summer was over...the train trip just a memory and so far everything at Hogwarts was going well, for the most part. Voldermort had been making attacks, but not on the school directly. The only attacks being made were on Ministry of Magic staff members and their families. Other than that, Deatheaters hadn't been seen anywhere near Hogwarts or Hogsmeade. But, everyone knew, it was only a matter of time before something happened. However, there was nothing to be done about it, except wait for the inevitable.

But waiting was tough on the students. Panic struck each time word was received of another killing; the students would be on edge for days, weeks, but the staff was always ready for an attack. In fact, the staff had been expanded in order to be even more prepared. All of the new additions were members of the Order of the Phoenix, of course. Remus Lupin returned as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, much to the displeasure of Professor Snape. Another Medi-Witch was brought in to assist Madam Pomfrey with all of the stress-related illnesses, and Mrs. Weasley, of all people, was appointed counselor to the Hogwarts students. Tonks, although unnoticeable to most, was brought in for security. (Disguised as a first year, by the name of Lori, she was sorted into Slytherin for a 'covert' operation.)

Everything was as planned, and the year was speeding quickly by. With Christmas break fast approaching, the children of the wizarding world were regaining their spirits. Vacations always seemed to make everything more cheery. Harry would be spending the holiday at Hogwarts, as usual, but this year, he would be joined by Hermione. The surprise came, when Ron, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley announced their plans to spend their two week holidays on the school grounds also. But, it wasn't just three members of the Weasley family that were signed up for the stay; the whole family was coming, even Bill, Charley, and Percy. Mrs. Weasley deemed it the 'Weasley Family Holiday Reunion,' but Hermione knew the visit was for the family's own protection. Mr. Weasley, being a well-known Ministry employee, (and Order member) was under constant threat.

However, it wasn't only the Weasley's that were having a 'Holiday Reunion.' It would seem that many more wizarding families were to spend time at Hogwarts for Christmas. Accommodations were eagerly being made for at least ten other families. The school was sure to be full of life, instead of simply life-less students. It was time for a celebration!

There were to be decorations of a heavenly manner, the richest foods imaginable and music to suite every taste. The celebration wasn't exactly the Yule Ball, yet neither was it to be called simply another 'normal' party. It was, after all, a creation of Dumbledore -completely original with surprises round ever corner. Whatever this celebration would be, the school was in an uproar at its announcement.

"Best of all, it's NOT formal!" exclaimed Ron after the grand announcement that morning at breakfast. "No dress robes!"

"But it's in less than two weeks," Ginny whined. "How am I supposed to find a date in that short time?"

"Date? Who said anything about dates?" Harry piped up nervously.

"The more important question, Ginny," Hermione interrupted, "is how are we going to afford new outfits?"

A look of shock rose on Ginny's face, but the boys simply rolled their eyes, "I just spent all my money on Christmas presents."

Ginny was still in shock. How were they going to afford new outfits? Ron and Harry just sat and laughed. "The way a girl's mind works: Boys and Clothes," Harry mumbled.

Ron pretended to write, using his fork as a quill, "Right, I'll have to make a note of that!"

"Better than the mentality of boys. You only have two things on you minds," retorted Hermione.

"And what might that be, Hermione?" Ron chimed. Harry and Ginny knew exactly where this was leading to: another argument!

"We'll see you two later, alright?" Harry said, motioning towards the door, while Ginny stood up, "Yeah, catch you at lunch!"

"Bye!"

"So, are you going to answer me 'Mione?"

Remembering her point, Hermione spat, "Boys only think about sports and food!"

"We do not!" was the last thing that either Ginny or Harry heard as they left the Great Hall.

"One more row this week, Harry, and you lose..."

"Yeah," Harry sighed, "it doesn't exactly help me when they go out of their way to pick fights with each other."

Ginny laughed, "Well, lucky for you the week ends tomorrow."

Harry chuckled at that fact, "So I might win after all?"

"Probably not, those two like each other too much to get along!"

"Ginny, that makes no sense!" exclaimed Harry.

"It makes perfect sense," Ginny replied. Noticing the confused look on his face, she continued, "They like each other enough to notice the little things, and to comment on them. It's actually kinda sweet."

Harry was still confused, but he laughed. "Completely annoying is more like it!"

Time passed, Harry lost the bet, and it was suddenly the day before Dumbledore's big event. Unfortunately, none of the four had dates yet. It was hopeless! Everyone seemed to have a winter romance brewing, except them. Even the Creevys had dates, but poor Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Harry couldn't find anyone to go with.

"Why don't you ask Ron?" Ginny suggested while laying out different outfits.

"For the same reasons you don't ask Harry," Hermione replied.

"You don't like him?" Ginny joked.

"No!"

Ginny anxiously jumped on her defensive answer, "So you do like my brother!"

"You know I do..." Hermione started.

"But?" Ginny prompted.

"But what if he doesn't feel the same?" She whined.

"Hermione," Ginny said, "I live with the git. Trust me, he's as much head over heels for you, as you are for him." Ginny stopped looking through her wardrobe and sat next to her friend on the bed, "Ask him. He won't say no."

"But what if he..." Hermione started again, but Ginny was quicker to the punch.

"He won't!"

"Alright, maybe he won't," Hermione hesitated, "but what about you?" Ginny threw her a puzzled look. "If I ask Ron, and he says yes, who will you go with?"

"Don't worry about me! Just march down to that common room and ask my brother on a date." Ginny wasn't kidding around any more, if anything, she was being forceful. She now had Hermione on her feet and was pushing her towards the door.

"Okay, okay." Hermione said, catching her balance before she fell. "But, when I get back, we're concentrating on your date!"

With that Hermione was out the door, and had Ginny following a foot behind. But once at the edge of the stairs, Ginny stopped short. She had no intentions of actually going down stairs. 'Harry might be there,' she thought, 'I'm so pathetic. I can't even go into the common room because I'm afraid. But, of what?' Ginny asked herself, 'What am I so afraid of?' She didn't have time to answer herself though. At that second, Hermione had just let out a small scream. As Ginny looked, she began laughing hysterically.

Not that she found her brother's romantic life with 'his 'Mione' humorous (although it was, slightly.) Ginny was laughing at the fact that Ron was now laying on the floor of the Griffendor Common Room, passed out! It was actually quite a sight. Apparently, Ginny learned later from Harry, as soon as Hermione asked Ron, he went red in the face and fainted right on top of Dean and Seamus. Of course, Ron would deny the whole incident later, (even though there were a room full of witnesses that could testify,) it was worth it to hassle. The sight of Dean and Seamus trying to roll Ron off of them was something that cracked Ginny up every time she thought about it.

Hermione, more mortified than amused, took his reaction as a yes, and had now turned to talk to Harry with her back to Ginny. It was a strange thing: they were having a mysteriously hushed conversation, even though everyone was too busy with Ron to listen in. They apparently still felt the need to hold their conversation in near silence. Harry looked quite shocked, and Hermione was obviously trying to keep him from looking at something. Ginny was concentrating so hard on trying to figure out what Hermione was doing, that she didn't notice anything else going on around her.

"Are you crazy Hermione!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down! I don't want anyone to hear us." Hermione said, looking to see if anyone noticed the conversation they were having, "Especially 'Sleeping Beauty' over there," she laughed, pointing towards Ron.

"Well neither do I." Harry said, glancing at Ron. "What would Ron do if he heard you trying to talk me into asking his baby sister on a date?"

Hermione just stood there with her mouth open, trying to come up with a quick response, and failing miserably. "Umm.."

"I'll tell you what. He'd lose it! You know how protective he can get!" Harry told her quietly.

"Come on Harry," Hermione pleaded, "if you don't ask her, she'll have to go alone, and I know that Ron wouldn't want her to feel left out." There was a look on Harry's face as if he was considering her argument, but before he could reply, she piped up again, "Plus, I won't be able to have a good time if I know that Ginny's not having a good time and Ron won't be having a good time if I'm not having a good time and you won't be having a good time because you're dateless while your friends are feeling guilty for not including you," She paused to breathe, "and Ginny is wishing that she never would have urged me to ask Ron out because it left her alone."

"Are you finished?" Harry asked, hoping she was.

"Yeah, I think so," Hermione gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"Where is she?" He asked calmly.

"Huh?"

"Where is she?" Harry inquired again, with a smile coming over his face, "How can I ask her to go with me if I don't know where she is?"

Hermione had a grin of accomplishment plastered on her face. In fact, it was the smirk she wore after she did well on exams. (She wouldn't stop grinning for a week after she received the scores from her O.W.L.S.) "Up stairs! I'll go call her down!" Hermione gave another scream, but this one was more excited than the last one.

"No need," Harry said, holding her on the ground, "I see her. She's sitting on the steps." Harry started to walk towards Ginny, when he turned back to Hermione and said, pointing a finger at her in warning, "But not a word of this to Ron until later." And with her nod, he resumed his course.

When he reached Ginny, she was starring out at the common room, without a clue that he was in front of her. He actually had to shake a little before she snapped out of her trance. She was completely confused as to what was going on. "Weren't you just over there?" She asked, pointing to where he had just finished his conversation with Hermione.

"I was," he said evenly, "but then I decided to sit here instead." As he said this, he sat down next to her.

Ginny's jaw dropped slightly. 'Is this happening?' she thought, 'This can't be happening!'

Harry was starring at her oddly. He had noticed her jaw drop after his last comment, but more over, he noticed her glazed over expression as she retreated back into her thoughts once more. It was like she had gone into her own universe. Again he found himself snapping her out of it, "Ginny? Ginny!" She shook herself loose of her thoughts. "Gin, are you alright?"

Ginny just looked at him. She didn't exactly know the answer to his question. It was weird, every time she started to really think or consider something, she would lose her reality, and slip into her mind. She didn't know why, she didn't even know that she did it. "What do you mean?"

"It's just every time I look at you, your deep in thought," He said, sounding concerned, "and this is the second time in the last minute that I've had to 'wake' you out of it."

"Oh," she said, "it's nothing." Harry didn't look convinced. "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all. You know how it is," she prompted.

"Yeah," he said, thinking back on all the times he'd gotten lost in a thought train. "I know what its like."

Ginny knew that tone in his voice. It was the tone that he use when he was thinking about the things that occurred last year, his fifth year. She hated seeing him in such a gloomy mood, and she knew that he would be headed to just such a mood, if she didn't say something. She switched the direction of the conversation. "So, why did you come over here?"

"Oh yeah, that," realizing that Hermione must be losing her hair by now, trying to figure out what was going on over here. "I was wondering if you had found a date to..." Harry stopped and tried to think of the right thing to call it, "Dumbledore's 'Social Event?'"

Ginny was confused. She had to think for a moment what he meant by 'social event,' but within moments she realized what he was talking about. "Oh, the Christmas Party!" she exclaimed, correcting him. "No, I haven't yet."

Harry was confused. Maybe he was making a big mistake by asking Ginny. It seemed as if she had no clue that he was asking her. 'But maybe she does,' he thought to himself. 'Maybe she knows exactly what you're getting at, but doesn't want to hurt you. So, she's acting ignorant as if to let you down easy.'

"Harry?"

Harry realized that he had just gotten caught in his own headlights, and was acting exactly as Ginny had before. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. What did you say?" He muttered, snapping out of his trance.

"I said that I didn't have anyone to go with to the party. Do you?" She said, sneaking in the last comment.

"No..." Harry was nervous. He was about to ask his best friend's younger sister on a date. "That's why I was wondering if you might want to go...with me...to the...party."

It was the oddest sentence that she had heard, but she understood every word of it. 'Did Harry Potter, your dream date, your crush, just ask you out?' her mind asked, and unknowingly she answered herself out loud, "Yes!."

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"Yes?" she said, wondering if she actually just answered herself out loud. "Oh, I mean, yes, I would love to go with you to the party." Her mind was racing, and she was on Cloud Nine. Everything was perfect, like a dream!

"What!?!"

The dream turned very suddenly into a nightmare.

"Ron!" Harry didn't see him wake from his 'fall,' nor did he see him walk towards the stair case to get to his room. But he did hear him, and he especially heard the reaction in his voice. Ginny did, too, but she was the smart one, "Oh, hi Ron! How are you feeling? That's great. Oh, would you look at the time. I need to go and change. Bye." She didn't even pause to let him get a word in, and the second she was finished, she stood up, kissed him on the cheek, and ran up to her dorm room where it was safe. 'I gotta learn how to do that!' was all Harry could think, but then the situation blinked 'WARNING' in his mind, and all he could say was, "Erm..."

"What Do You Think You Were Doing Aski..."

"Look, Ron, before you say anything else, this is not my fault." 'This is not my fault? That's the best you can think of?'

"What do you mean, Harry?" Ron was closing in on him.

"Look, it's just with you going with Hermione, she felt that Ginny would be lonely, and that you would be upset because I wasn't taking anyone and I didn't mean anything by it but she talked me into siting here and asking Dumbledore to the party or social event..." Harry wasn't making any sense. He had so many different excuses he wanted to use that every time he thought of a different one, no matter where he was in his last one, he started in on it. All of his stories were mixed up, and the only thing he was doing was making a complete fool out of himself. 'I wonder if what I just said can even be considered English. It's probably its own language...Stupidish.'

"Ok." Ron shrugged, turned, and made his way up the stairs.

'Apparently, Ron speaks Stupidish!' Harry thought, then, "What?"

"Look, Harry, it's okay." Ron noticing the look of utter shock on Harry's face. "Harry, Hermione explained the entire situation to me before I came over here. It was just...disturbing actually hearing it. Relax! All in all you're doing Hermione a favor, to help out Ginny. Which in turn is a favor to me because it helps out Hermione," he said matter-of-factly.

"Wow," Harry said, "You really do speak Stupidish."

"I speak what?" Ron said, slightly insulted.

"Nevermind."

"Aren't you guys going to go and get ready? The party starts in less than two hours! UGH! Boys!" Hermione had sneaked up behind them on the stairs, and was observing how they looked, while Harry and Ron just stood waiting for her to leave, so they could release their pent-up laughter.

"Girls!" proclaimed the two boys in unison.

A/N: This is the first Fanfiction that I have ever written. I mostly write scripts on so, I'm sorry if the dialect is a little choppy...I'm trying to improve. Please review! It's the only way that you can have a say in what and when and if I write. (I'm an expert in Stupidish.) Hope you're enjoy this, because I've learned from the best (all of the writers who have inspired me!).


	2. Favors

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWO: FAVORS  
  
It was almost six o'clock when the girls were finally ready. Harry and Ron had been sitting in the common room for almost an hour and a half when they saw them walk down the steps. "Wow," was all either of them could say.  
  
"We'll take that as an approval," Hermione said, as she accepted Ron's arm, but Ginny was too nervous to speak. Or maybe she was excited. 'My first date with Harry,' was all that she could think of. That, and 'Don't make a fool of yourself!' She wanted this night to be perfect, and as the night proceeded it was. They all were having a marvelous time, Ginny especially. She couldn't help but smile and laugh at everything that was happening. Everyone took notice to her happiness, and was commenting on what a great couple Ginny and Harry made. But Ron didn't think it so great.  
  
The night was winding down to the last hour of the party. It was nearing ten o'clock, and both boys were too tired to stand let alone dance. So, Ginny and Hermione took this as their cue to go and dance with all the other girls on the floor. As soon as both of them were out of hearing range, Ron took it as his cue to give Harry his two cents.  
  
"Look Harry, I know that with everything that happened last year, you deserve to be happy." Ron glanced over his shoulder to check for signs of either girls, "But, does it have to be with my sister?"  
  
Harry gave him a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"  
  
Ron took a deep breath, and then sighed, "Well, it's just that you two have been growing closer since the begining of this year," he told his best friend. Harry tried to protest by saying, "We're just friends!" but Ron just put his hand up to stop him and continued, "I'm not the only one to have noticed it, and I don't think that I really like the idea of you 'with' my sister."  
  
There was a sudden realization of what he was getting at, and Harry took the break in Ron's sentance to comment. "Look, Ron, I have no feelings for your sister. She's only a friend. That's all."  
  
"Are you sure, cause it doesn't seem that way..."  
  
"Oh, come on Ron!" Harry said, laughing, "You know that I only asked Ginny here as a favor to Hermione."  
  
"So, is that all I am!" a voice exclaimed from behind them. Of all the people to standing around Harry and Ron, it had to be Ginny, of all people, to approach in time to hear the last comment Harry made. She wasn't standing behind them anymore. Now, to the boy's horror, Ginny was right next to them, but speaking as if she were across the room. "Just A Pity Date? Just A 'Favor?'"  
  
Now, under normal cercumstances, what Ginny was saying would have only been heard by a few people standing closely by. But, normal flew out the window when Ginny walked in on a conversation that was not meant for her to hear. Unfortunately, just as she started yelling at Harry, the music was cut off so the D.J. could ask for requests. Everyone in the room heard exactly what she was saying. Harry was so embarassed and Ron was mortified.  
  
"Gin," Harry said quietly to her, "that's not what I meant. You didn't hear the whole conversation." He was trying his best to keep her calm, but placing his hand on her shoulder was not the way to go about it.  
  
"Don't Touch Me," she screamed, taking a step backwards, "I didn't need to hear the 'whole conversation,' Harry, I got the jist of it." All Ginny wanted to do was leave the room. She didn't want anyone to see her cry, and she especially didn't want Harry to see how much she really cared about him. But she couldn't move. A part of her didn't want to. It was the same part that wanted both Harry and Ron to suffer for the humilation that she was feeling at that moment.  
  
"Gin," Ron started standing up, "Harry never meant to hurt you."  
  
"Who said that it was Harry that hurt me?"  
  
Ron was confused, "What do yo..."  
  
"My own brother," she wasn't sure what she was feeling, or thinking, but what ever it was, she felt it best to just run with it. "Ron, how could you do this to me?"  
  
"Ginny, Ron had no part in this. He was the one telling me not to hurt you."  
  
Ginny turned back to Harry, "Stay out of this Harry. Ron had just as much a part in this as you. He knew what was going on, but didn't bother to tell me." Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she turned back to her brother, "Who can you trust, if not your own family?"  
  
Hermione was standing on the other side of the room talking to a few of the other girls from her year when the argument started between her three friends. She heard every word as clearly as if she were standing right in the middle of it. She didn't know what sparked the anger in Ginny. (Her hearing wasn't that good.) But, she did know that whatever had happened was not going to blow over well. Over the heads of all the people, who were now swarming the scene, Hermione could only see the top of Ron's head. But, as quickly as the fight started, the yelling was over.  
  
The music restarted, and Ginny headed for the doors. She wanted to run away and hide, and spend Christmas Holiday in her room away from Ron and Harry. She was well on her way to making a clean get away out the front doors, until she heard someone scream her name. "GINNY!" She expected it to be Ron or Harry. Hell, she expected to see her mother standing behind her, not Hermione. 'Doesn't she know that the last person that I would ever want to see would be her?' She thought, 'And everyone thinks that she's so smart, too.' But, the rage in her took over inside her again, and she stopped, just long enough for Hermione to catch up to her. "What do you want?" Ginny spat, before Hermione even had a second to rest.  
  
"I just..." she started, "I don't know, Gin. I just had to come after you." Hermione didn't know what to say, or what to do.  
  
Ginny turned around and looked Hermione in the eye. "Why?" There wasn't an inch between them, "To apologize? To see if I'm ok?" She started taking steps forward, and Hermione had no choice but to move backwards or be trampled by the tweaked red-head. "I don't want your simpathy, Hermione." Ginny took another step. "I don't want you to comfort me, or reason with me."  
  
"But, Ginny, I don't understand," Hermione stopped moving, and tried to talk to her friend. "What happened? Everything was going great between you and Harry!"  
  
Something snapped in Ginny's expression. Before she was just angry, pissed off at the most, but now she wanted to strike down upon anyone who came near her. She was in pain, and she couldn't control anything that was going on. She just wanted to hurt Hermione, Ron and Harry. Not physically, but emotionally. Ginny wanted them to feel the suffering that they caused her. "My friends betrayed me." Ginny now started moving backwards as she spoke, "Of all people to do this to me. I would expect this kind of act from Malfoy, but not from you. You flat out went behind my back, and then lied to me about it."  
  
"I didn't lie to you about anythi..."  
  
"I asked you if you knew why Harry suddenly asked me to the Christmas Party, and you said no." Ginny kept moving, and she was almost to the doors. Just a few more strikes before she made a run for it. "A flat out lie. You knew why. It was because you asked him to.You knew that he couldn't say no to you." Hermione looked pained at every word being spoken against her, but Ginny wasn't satisfied. It was when she saw Ron and Harry enter the room that she decided to make her last remarks. "I trusted you. All of you, and this is what it gets me. I hate you all more than you can ever imagine. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE."  
  
There was malice in her voice, an evil sort of tone that was bone chilling to hear it from a person know for her kindness. The three were left stunned and unable to move. They were in shock. It was Harry who broke everyone out of the transe. He started to move towards the door when Ron grabbed his arm asking, "Where are you going?"  
  
"Someone has to go after her," he said turning to face his friends, "we can't just let her roam the grounds."  
  
"Harry," Hermione stepped towards him, "no matter how much we want to go after her, we can't. Not yet."  
  
"Yeah," Ron let go of his arm, "if I know my sister, she needs to cool off. She'll be back in an hour, tops."  
  
"You're probably right." Harry glanced towards the last place Ginny had been standing, "When do you think she'll talk to us?"  
  
"Probably a month after she can stand being in the same room with us."  
  
Harry and Ron gave a guilty snicker towards Hermione's estimation. They both knew that it wouldn't be until summer before she would be able to knowingly walk into the same room as the three of them.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Ron was wrong. Ginny did not come back in an hour. Nor did she come back after two, or three. It was four and a half hours later when Harry and Hermione had Ron convinced that something was wrong. But, it wasn't until Hermione came running down the stairs into the Griffendor common in a panic that Ron really started to worry.  
  
Giving the boys a look of regret she gasped, "Her broom is gone!"  
  
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A/N: Please Review! 


	3. Search and Rescue

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THREE: SEARCH AND RESCUE  
  
"WHAT!" Both Harry and Ron jumped onto their feet.  
  
"Her broom and her cloak is gone, and the other fifth year girls say that she hasn't come back to the room at all since the party." Hermione was in tears. 'This is all my fault. I had to push Harry to ask her.'  
  
"Hermione, I know what you're thinking," Harry said. She gave him a puzzled look as if saying, "Oh, really..."  
  
"I do, too, 'Mione." Ron said, responding to her look, "This is not your fault." He quickly looked at Harry, "Nor is it yours. Somehow we are all to blame for this, but I don't think that this is the time to be thinking about that." Ron took Hermione's hand, "We need to find her, now, before something else happens to her."  
  
Harry and Hermione didn't need to be told twice. The three of them quickly sprung into action. Harry and Ron ran to their dormitory to retrieve the invisability cloak and their brooms. They were going to find her, no matter what it took. Quickly, they hatched a plan, and set off out of the common room. Their first stop would be to Mrs. Weasley's office. They quietly knocked, and were oddly surprised when the door was answered by not Molly Weasley, but Fred. Ron almost spoke, but the second he inhaled, Harry threw a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Hello?" Fred said, "Who's there?" He made a grab at where they were standing, but after using the cloak for almost six years, the three of them jumped back instinctively. "Harry, is that you...Look, I know someone's there, and you are the only one with an invisibility cloak, so if you don't come out, I'm going to go and get..."  
  
Fred couldn't finish his sentance. He just looked in awe as the area in front of him (where he thought Harry was standing) started to shimmer. His shock wasn't from the shimmer, but from what was behind the shimmer. From out of nowhere stepped Hermione, who suddenly threw a hand over Fred's mouth and pushed him inside the door. But, before she shut it, she gave a quick signal to Harry and Ron who took their cues and left.  
  
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Fred wasn't the only one who asked this question. As Hermione looked around she wasn't in the presence of just Fred or Mrs. Weasley. She was surrounded by an entire room of red heads. The entire family, minus Ron and Ginny, was in the small office of the school counselor, and all of them were looking at Hermione as if she had three eyes and a tail. But, she wasn't about to let seven pairs of eyes disturb her into forgetting what she had to do.  
  
Hermione needed to tell Mrs. Weasley, and now the other six, what was going on, and give Ron and Harry a head start in the search. Hopefully, if everything went as planned, the two boys would return with Ginny before the Weasley's reached the night air. She had her work cut out for her. The Weasley men were well know for their protective nature. Telling Mrs. Weasley while keeping her calm (and in the building) would have been simple. She was up against her greatest challenge.  
  
Luckily, Harry and Ron realized the situation the second they saw Fred answer the door. Both of them remembered that the Weasley's were spending the holiday at Hogwarts. As soon as the door closed behind Hermione, they ran for it. They reached the outside and were airborne within the minute. But, where to start looking? When they left the common room, no one even thought about where Ginny might have gone. Spliting up, Ron started his search around the quidditch pit while Harry headed to Hagrid's.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Blimey Harry! What are you doing out this late?"  
  
"Sorry, Hagrid, but there's no time to explain." All he had time to ask was, "Have you seen Ginny?" Harry was in a rush. He shrugged off Hagrid's offer to come in, and was about to mount his broom again.  
  
"No, but, why?" Hagrid lost his look of confusion, "What's going on?"  
  
"She stormed out of the castle during the party, and no one has seen her in at least four hours."  
  
"Well, no worry. She couldn't have gotten too far." Hagrid retreated inside, and quickly returned within seconds carring his crossbow and his lantern. Fang followed him as he shut the door behind him. "Don't think she'd go inside the forest, no matter how mad she was, but might as well check the border, just to see if she's hiding."  
  
"She took her broom and flying cloak with her."  
  
"Oh." Hagrid became lost in thought for a second, contemplating what to do. He had two choices: join the search, or go for help. It didn't take him long to choose. "Well, then I'd better start looking," he told Harry, "but you'll need to go inside and tell the Headmaster what's going on."  
  
"Hermione's got that covered," he said quickly.  
  
"Well, then, why don't you go and start looking by the..." Hagrid barely even got to start his sentance before Harry cut him off again.  
  
"Ron's starting down by the pit, and is going to circle the castle after that. I'm supposed to start down here, and then weave around the grounds."  
  
"Okay, then," Hagrid was feeling a bit useless, but he gave a final word before setting off. "Don't fly over the forest, whatever you do. The centaur's still have it out for anything coming from this school that doesn't have at least four legs."  
  
Harry didn't pay attention to Hagrid's last warning. He was flying as soon as he heard "Okay." There was nothing that was going to stop him from finding Ginny. No matter what Ron had said, in Harry's own opinion, this was all his fault.  
  
"I was the one who asked her to the party. I was the one who said that it was only a favor to Hermione. This is all of my fault, and if anything happens to her out here, it'll be all my fault." He was talking to himself, but it didn't matter. No one was around to hear him. He was soaring about the school grounds, keeping one eye on the ground and the other on the sky. It was like a game of quidditch, but with a whole different target. In quidditch, all he had to do was catch the snitch to win the game. But this wasn't a game, and he knew it. If it was, it would be ok if he couldn't find her. If he lost. Harry couldn't lose. He wouldn't.  
  
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It had been no more than four minutes after she entered the room before Hermione was going to have to resort to baracading the door with her own body to keep the Weasley's from leaving. She was not prepared to keep seven people calm, and the deck was stacked against her from the start. Not only was it suspicious that she came to the office under the invisibility cloak, but the time of her visit, and the panic in her eyes was enough to tell anyone that something was wrong.  
  
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Molly Weasley asked.  
  
"Wh-ho said tha-at something was wrong?" was all she could say.  
  
Mr. Weasley was not amused. His voice wasn't compashionate, like Mrs. Weasley's. "Hermione." His voice was harsh as he spoke, not like it used to be before the return of Voldermort.  
  
"Look, don't be upset, but..." She swallowed hard.  
  
"But what Hermione?" Bill was now standing while the others were on the edge of their seats.  
  
She couldn't say it more than a whisper, but at least she said it, "Ginny's missing."  
  
"WHAT!?!" They heard her, oh did they hear her. It was a good thing that the room had a sound proofing charm on it. (It was placed there so that the students would feel safe telling Mrs. Weasley what was bothering them.) All seven were standing now, and just as suddenly as she had entered the office, they started yelling. Hermione lost track of who was saying what, but she expected what they were saying. "Where did she go?" "When did she leave?" "Why?" It was Mrs. Weasley that was able to stop the madness between her family. "Hermione, tell us what happened."  
  
The whole thing was explained in a minute. From beginning to end.  
  
"Well, it all started when I talked Harry into asking Ginny to go to the party with him, and then it was while we were at the party when Ron started questioning Harry's motives with Ginny, but Harry stupidly told Ron that he was just doing her a favor and Ginny over heard him saying this. There was this whole big episode between the three of them, and then she left the party. I went after her, but she was so upset that there was no reasoning with her. Ugh, the look in her eyes, it was if she was gaining pleasure from our pain. The last thing she said was that we should leave her alone. And we did. We let her cool off, but it wasn't until about three hours later that I went upstairs and discovered that her broom was missing. The other girls said that she never came up to the room." Hermione was out of breath and near tears by the time she finished. She had said the whole thing in one breath.  
  
But it was Mrs. Weasley that kept speed with the young girl. She instinctively brought the girl to her chest and held her tightly. Somehow, Hermione immediately felt better, as if she was transported home into the arms of her own mother. It was now obvious to Hermione why Molly Weasley was hired as the school counselor. She couldn't help but give in and tell the woman the entire plan (which wasn't much, just to find her).  
  
Mrs. Weasley had slightly pushed Hermione away from her, and was now looking down at her. "Where did Harry and Ron go, dear?"  
  
She held back a sob, "Out and onto the grounds to search for her. They took their brooms with them."  
  
"Arthur, take the boys and start searching for Ginny, but keep an eye out for Ron and Harry. I'll go and talk to Dumbledore." She spoke with authority, and with that same authority, she turned to Hermione. "You are coming with me to the Headmaster's Office, we'll see what happens after that." She sent a slight smile towards Hermione, but then quickly realized that everyone was still standing in her office. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!"  
  
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Harry was now over the Forbidden Forest. Deep down, he knew exactly what Hagrid had told him, but he had to check it out himself. He could travel faster than Hagrid while on his broom, and if Ginny had flow this way, and set down in a clearing, he was most likely going to find her first. "I have to find her." Again he was talking to himself, but his will to find her was more important than making a fool of himself. "Besides," he said, "it's not like anyone I know can hear me."  
  
He sighed, it would be great if Ginny could hear him. That would mean that she was close by. "Ginny? Where are you!" He called into the night, but no sooner than he spoke, he saw something. Not her, but a light. Like the light from the tip of a wand, and although he knew better than to fly into the Forbidden Forest, he had to. 'It could be her,' he thought, speeding towards the last place he saw it. 'It can't be Hagrid, he couldn't have gotten this far in only twenty minutes.' Closer and closer he flew, but suddenly he pulled up.  
  
He now hovered over a large clearing that was unnerving. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before and was clearly man-made. 'Maybe not man- made,' he thought. It was shaped like a giant star, and was completely devoid of any grass, except for in the center where something dark was lying. "Ginny..." he gasped. It had to be her, it just had to be! But, before he could decide weither to go down and get her or to go and find help, he was blind-sided by a large flying object. Harry was sent spiraling into the ground.  
  
Thoughts rushed through his mind as he fell off his broom and landed with a thud. He was now lying next to what he was certain was Ginny. "Ginny!" He was so glad to have found her that he forgot all about the pain he was feeling and about the object that hit him. "Gin, are you alright, I've been so worried. Ginny?" He reached over and turned her towards him. When he saw the large bruise across her face and the blood dripping down from her cheek he became worried about what ever targeted him in the sky. "I have to get you out of here."  
  
Harry was trying to drape Ginny's arm over his shoulders and stand when he felt a blinding pain. It wasn't from the injury he received before, but from the large dark object that came into contact with his head. He dropped Ginny as he collased on top of her, losing consciousness.  
  
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A/N: I know I sound like a broken record by now, but PLEASE, I'm beggin' you! I need all the help I can get. 


	4. Memory Loss

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FOUR: MEMORY LOSS  
  
Ron wasn't having any luck in finding even a shread of evidence that Ginny had been anywhere near where he was searching. He had now been looking for over an hour and a half, but on foot. Hermione didn't have much luck keeping his family inside the castle for more than ten minutes. As soon as his dad saw him in the air, he grounded him. Literally. Him and Hermione were now stuck on the ground, and his father had taken his broom to fly to Hogsmead and start searching for Ginny there.  
  
It had been a long night, but he was glad that he was at least with Hermione. Even though he felt guilty and responsible for Ginny's disappearance, her presence made everything better. "I'd feel a hell of a lot better if I could just find Ginny."  
  
"I know the feeling," Hermione responded.  
  
Ron blushed. He said his last thought out loud, "I've never seen her that angry. It's as if she wasn't herself."  
  
Hermione was on the same page, "Yeah, I don't know how to explain it, but she was different." She had stopped searching the brush to look at him. She started to smile at him, but it turned into a look of surprise. Instead of looking at him, she was now looking over his shoulder into the forest. Ron looked confused until he turned to see what she was looking at. Out of the Forest was a large shaddow, walking towards the castle. Hermione quickly turned the light coming from her wand towards the object, "Harry?...Harry!" She was so happy to see him, but fear struck her as he fell to the ground. Both Ron and Hermione sprinted to the place where he landed in the grass. They became suddenly overjoyed when they came close enough to see that Ginny was with him.  
  
That was until they saw the state they were in. Both looked filty and were bruised everywhere. Their clothes were torn and almost falling off in places, and neither of them were wearing cloaks. They were freezing, and not to mention bleeding from the head in numerous places. Ron just looked at them.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione snapped into action, "Go get your mum and whoever else you can find. We've got to get them inside!" Hermione knew by the looks of it that there wasn't much time for them, but she was afraid to move them incase she hurt them more. She was even scared to cast a spell. The only thing she could think to do was send up a signal. She quickly cast a spell and the air above her was filled with red sparks. "Ugh! I wish I could apparate right now," she sighed, looking in every direction, waiting to see signs of people.  
  
It was less than a minute after she had sent up her signal when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Mrs. Weasley running. "Quick! Over here, come quickly!" Hermione was so glad to see her, that she hadn't noticed the other Weasleys landing around her. She became startled by the sight of other people approaching her.  
  
"What happened?" someone demanded. "What did you find?" Mrs. Weasley finally reached the edge of the forest and got a good look at the two children lying there in tatters. She snapped into action and started yelling orders for everyone. "Fred! Fly to Hogsmead and find your father. Get him back here A.S.A.P. George, Bill get Ginny, while Persy and I get Harry. We need to get them inside, now." She paused to breathe, but barely. "Charlie, go and find Hagrid. He's somewhere inside the forest. Alright? Let's go!" They all sprung into action at the sound of her last words.  
  
"Mrs. Weasley?"  
  
She was carefully lifting Harry's limp body off the ground. "Yes, Hermione?"  
  
"What can I do?"  
  
"Oh, yes..." she let out a slight grunt as she started walking towards the castle under the weight of the teenaged boy, "Run ahead of us and have Madame Pomfrey ready. Then inform the Headmaster that we've found Ginny."  
  
She didn't even stop walking to confirm, she just started running. If this is what she could do, then she would do it. By the time she reached the hospital wing, she was completely out of breath, and Madame Pomfrey couldn't understand a word of what she said. "Hermione...What is wrong? Here, drink this," she said as she conjured a glass of liquid out of thin air. It wasn't water though. It was some sort of light fluid that made her lungs suddenly fill with air. She instantly stopped panting and was able to speak clearly.  
  
"We found Ginny Weasley, or should I say Harry did, but they've been hurt really bad. It looks as if they've been attacked by something. The rest of the Weasleys are bringing them here." Hermione felt completely refreshed. She could not only speak clearly but think clearly, as well.  
  
"Thank you for the warning, Miss Granger. Please go and inform the Headmaster of...."  
  
"That will be quite alright, Poppy." A grand voice filled the room. Hermione couldn't help but turn to look at who is was. "Mr. Weasley has already informed me of the situation." Professor Dumbledor made a grand gesture of his arm as Ron walked out from behind him.  
  
Hermione was confused. 'How did he get here?' she thought. "Ron? I thought that you went looking for someone to..."  
  
"I did," he explained, "but when I saw your sparks, and my mum runing in your direction, I came straight up here to tell the Headmaster." Ron seemed calmed, 'He must have had a drink of the same potion I did,' Hermione thought, but before she could confirm her suspicions Bill and George rushed into the room with Ginny, followed closely by Molly and Persy with Harry. The room suddenly turned into a frenzie, with both Madame Pomfrey and her assistant shouting orders over eachother at the bystanders. It took 45 minutes for the room to turn silent again, but when it did, it was only because Ginny had woken up. Harry was still unconscious.  
  
Everyone gathered around Ginny as soon as they were able to. She looked almost blinded. "Too much red," she groaned, covering her eyes and laughing at herself. One by one, the Weasley's gingerly hugged her, except Ron, who had moved to the wall fathest from her. He sat next to Hermione. Neither of them wanted to upset her by their presence in the room, but Ginny wouldn't have it.  
  
"Where's Ron?" She asked. From the sound of it, Ginny wasn't angry at all.  
  
"Over here," he said, pulling Hermione to her feet with him. They slowly made their way towards her bed, waiting for her switch to flip, and her to start yelling. "Look, Gin." Ron took a deep breath, "Before you say anything, I just want you to know that I'm sorry," he looked at Hermione, who took over.  
  
"We're both sorry, and we know that Harry is, too. We all just wanted you to have a good time tonight, that's all."  
  
Ginny was confused, "What do you mean?"  
  
"The three of us realized after you left, that what we did was wrong, no matter what our intentions were," Ron sounded like a Hallmark card, as Hermione would later point out (although he didn't know what a greeting card was), but it didn't change Ginny's expression. She still looked confused.  
  
"I still don't have a clue about what you are talking about, and why am I here?"  
  
"You don't remember?" Was all that Hermione could manage to say.  
  
"Remember what?"  
  
Now Hermione was the one that was confused, "The row we had at the Christmas Party..."  
  
Ginny cut her off, "The Christmas Party? But that's next week," she looked around the room at all of the concerned faces, "isn't it?"  
  
"Ginny, dear," Mrs. Weasley said , gingerly taking her hand, "what is the last thing you remember?"  
  
"Well, I just walking back to the school after Quidditch practice," Ginny suddenly gave a look of horror. "Why?"  
  
Professor Dumbledor quickly stepped in with another question, "Miss Weasley, would you mind telling me today's date?"  
  
"It's the 17th of December Professor," Ginny said quickly, not knowing that she answered wrongly.  
  
"Oh dear," was all that Madame Pomfrey could mutter before following Dumbledor into her office.  
  
"Mum?" Ginny was growing more and more confused by the second, "Why am I in the Hospital Wing?" The Weasley's looked at eachother. What to say...the wrong thing would send her panicing, but saying nothing would make her even more worried. They had to tell her something, but what? Seeing the looks on her parents' faces, Ginny grew anxious. "What has happened?"  
  
"Well, dear," Molly said, feigning a smile, "you were attacked. Harry found you in the Forest." It was vague, but exactly enough information to keep her satisfied.  
  
"But how did I end up in the Forbidden Forest?" confusion set it again.  
  
It was Ron who fielded this one, "We don't know, Gin."  
  
"Well, where's Harry? He must know where he found me! That might clear something up," Ginny skipped straight from confused to paniced.  
  
"He can't tell us anything at the moment, Ginny," Hermione saw the look of fear the crossed Ginny's eyes, "He hasn't woken up yet."  
  
"What happened to him?" she was absolutely stricken with guilt, "How deep into the Forest was I?"  
  
No one answered. No one knew the answer. All they could do was glance back and forth between eachother nervously. "From where I found these, too far." An entire room of heads turned towards the door.  
  
Molly was the first to respond, "Oh, Hagrid! Thank goodness Charlie found you," she gave a sigh of relief, "who knows what the Centaur's would have done to you if you were in there too long."  
  
Something clicked inside of Ginny's head, "Wait a minute, mum," she said, as she pushed herself to a sitting posistion, "is the whole family here?"  
  
"Of course we're all here," Charlie said, just entering the room. "You knew we were coming, Gin." He didn't catch the looks that the rest of the room was giving him. 'Good thing he didn't say it was Christmas,' was on the minds of everyone in the room.  
  
"But you were all planning to come for Christmas," she made is sound as if she were having to state the obvious, "why are you here a week early?"  
  
This time he caught the look from Percy, who was standing behind Ginny waving his hands and mouthing to him, 'Just play along with her.' He didn't understand what he was playing along with, so he decided to leave out as many details as possible. "We all came to help look for you, Gin." He came closer and took her hand, "What, did you think we'd leave you lost to die?" Charlie gave a little chuckle, and played around with her until she smiled. "That's better."  
  
"But, where's Dad?" She said, looking to her mother, "And George, too."  
  
"Oh, they went to Hogsmead to see if anyone there knew something about your..." she couldn't think of the right word. The truth would be too confusing, but she couldn't not tell her.  
  
"Disappearance?" Hermione offered.  
  
"Thank you, Hermione," she gave a short smile, "but they should be back in a short time."  
  
"We don't need a short time, mum." Mrs. Weasley was surprised and thankful to see both her husband and her son approaching the bed.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry to say," Madame Pomfrey said, re-entering behind the Headmaster, "but Ginny does need a short time, in the least, to rest." Everyone had their eyes on the pair as they joined the circle of people surrounding the young girl. "And, by the looks of it, you all could use a good nights sleep, as well."  
  
Everyone nodded and said their goodbye's to Ginny, who laid back down, falling asleep the instant her head hit the pillow, before anyone could offer her a potion. But Madame Pomfrey didn't want to rejoin the others so soon out in the hall. Something funny was going on, and she intended to do a little sloothing of her own.  
  
"Ginny...Ginny, dear wake up," the woman gently shook the fifth year girl, trying not to hurt her, "there is something I must ask you...."  
  
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A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! I now know why everyone blackmails people for them...it feels so good to get them! I'll keep the chapters coming. I'm writing one or two a night, but with the storms that are hitting my area, it might be touch and go. Thanks again! 


	5. Naturally Unmagical

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIVE: NATURALLY UNMAGICAL  
  
"Well," Mr. Weasley started once the door to the infirmary was closed behind them, "what do we know so far?" He looked from person to person waiting for a response. "Where was she found?"  
  
"We saw Harry bring her out of the forest," Hermione started, "but then he collapsed," she looked at Ron, who was nodding to her recap. "We don't know where he found her."  
  
"I think we can answer that." chimed Hagrid, stepping forward and placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "We found their brooms in the center of a Gazing Grove."  
  
"What's a Gazing Grove?" Hermione asked.  
  
"It's a star-shaped clearing where Centaur's gather once every new moon to, well, gaze at the stars," Hagrid said, "It's where they make their predictions."  
  
"So it was the Centaur's that attacked them?" Ron asked.  
  
"We can't be certain of that," Charlie sighed, stepping towards Dumbledore, "The only thing that we did find this," he said, handing him a rope that was sploched with blood. "It's definately not something a Centaur would carry. By the looks of the surroundings, they were 'shot' down in a sort of way."  
  
"What makes you say that," Molly wondered.  
  
"A few of the rocks around them had blood on them," he said, "their brooms were at least twenty or thirty feet from where thier bodies were, and," Charlie paused, sighing deeply, "and by the imprints they left..."  
  
Hagrid took over telling the details of the landscape, seeing the pain in Charlie's expression, "They had to have fallen pretty hard to have left marks that deep in the ground. From what we can tell, they were targeted."  
  
Everyone took in the information slowly. To think that someone was targeting Harry and Ginny just seemed so weird. Well, maybe not when thinking about Harry. Everyone working for the Dark Lord was after him, but to go after Ginny? It just seemed off. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same things, too. No one wanted to look at each other. George suddenly found the floor very shiny, as did many of the other people standing in the hall. It seemed that the silence that was growing between the group would soon curtle the air. So it just stayed quite until Madame Pomfrey re- emerged.  
  
Entering the hall, unaware that she now had eleven pairs of eyes upon her, she stood there going over data in her head. Silently nodding and tapping her jaw. "Yes!" she concluded loudly, disturbing the thought trains of the others, "That's it." Everyone turned towards her. Ron and Hermione, who had been sitting together across the hall, stood and moved back towards the group.  
  
"What?" some said as everyone snapped out of whatever daze they were in.  
  
"Ginny's memory hasn't been tampered with," Madame Pomfrey proclaimed, noticing the odd looks the Weaslys were giving her, "at least not with magic. She has a natual amnesia."  
  
Hermione was the first to voice her concerns, "But how do you know this?"  
  
"I just had a quick chat with Miss Weasly, and other than being completely confused, she knew every single detail to her own life. Most people under a memory charm forget one or two of the tiny details of their lives. And, her memory was set back to a specific moment," she said. "Not a day or a month, but an event. You can't do that with a memory charm. At best you can delete an event, but not the way that it has been done to her. "  
  
"But all that, it could mean anything..."  
  
"Miss Granger, I understand your concerns, but do you really think that I would only ask the girl a few questions?" she looked down at the girl, rolling her eyes, "Really."  
  
"Well, Poppy, what else did you do then?"  
  
"Oh, don't be alarmed, Molly, but I also preformed a counter-charm on your daughter. After my chat with her, I was almost certain of what my gut was telling me. So I magically checked for signs of mental tampering." Madame Pomfrey informed them, pausing to reconferm her suspicions. Everyone was glued to her, wanting to know the results of her tests. "There were none." The Weasly's let out a sigh of relief. "Something happened that she doesn't want to remember. That she can't remember. Hopefully Mr. Potter will wake soon and be able to fill in the minor details. Until then, I suggest that you two," she said, turning towards Ron and Hermione, "fill her in on the details of what she does not know. Don't leave anything out."  
  
It was now Percy who took up the role of being worried, "Excuse me, Madame Promfrey, but what can the rest of us do?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure at this point. That is out of my range of expertise."  
  
"Well who should we be talking to, ma'am?" Ron questioned the woman, trying not to be rude.  
  
"Your mother."  
  
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A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing...your comments have really been urging me forwards. Luckily for all of you, until I find a job, there will probably be a new chapter everyday. At the request of Dragon Scales1, I switched my quotes around on all of the chapters (Thank god for 'Find and Replace!!!')...It took some extra work, but I was willing to go the extra mile. Also I wil be changing my settings so that eveyone can review...(sorry, i didn't even know that that was an option)...Thanks again for all your help. Reviews or not, I'll keep writing just to see my own text. 


	6. Some Brother

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER SIX: SOME BROTHER  
  
"ME?" Molly gasped.  
  
"Yes Molly. You," Poppy, assured. "You are the counselor at Hogwarts, are you not?"  
  
"Well, yes," Mrs. Weasley retorted, "but I am not trained for cases this serious. Surely you would be more..."  
  
"Suitable?" Madame Pomfrey chuckled, "Who could be more suitable than her mother? I'm very confident in you skills as a counselor, Molly. But, if you would all excuse me, it has been a long night, and I suggest that we all get some rest. Goodnight."  
  
Dumbledore took the woman's lead, "I'm afraid that I will be retiring, as well. Goodnight Weasleys, Hagrid, Miss Granger."  
  
Mumbles of "Goodnight," could be heard throughout the entire group as the headmaster turned to climb his gargoyle. But no one was ready to turn in quite yet, though. There had been too much going on in the past two hours to just go to sleep. So little information left quite a few questions on everyone's minds, and made a large tear in everyones' hearts. The thought of sleeping after such a catastrophe was too far from reality. Everyone just stayed in the exact posistions that they were in before Professor Dumbledore or Madame Pomfrey left.  
  
It was actually quite a sight to be seen. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were holding eachother in the center of the hallway, while Percy and Charlie were leaning up against the wall next to the hospital door. Fred and George had now taken up Ron's previous posistion of sitting on the floor. Bill just looked in through the window of the door, to where his baby sister lay, bandaged from an encounter with an unknown attacker. Hermione was in the worst mood of all. Unlike anyof the others, she truly believed that this was all her fault. If she were of sound mind, she would quite enjoy the posistion she was in: standing in the middle of the hall, with Ron holding her. Fred and George found this the perfect situation to 'lighten the mood.'  
  
"Awe, George," Fred started, elbowing his twin, "isn't that sweet!"  
  
"Oh! Ickle Ronnie's found a girl friend!" George heckled.  
  
"Shut it," Ron spat, barely turning his attention away from Hermione.  
  
"Oh, Fred, I think he meant that."  
  
"Geez Ron," George whined, wiping a fake tear from his eye, "can't you see the pain that we are going through over this. And NOW you go and hurt our feelings on top of that..."  
  
Fred finished for him, "Some brother."  
  
Hermione couldn't help herself anylonger. 'First I cause Ginny to leave, then Harry and Ginny to get hurt, causing the entire Weasley Family to become heart broken. Now I'm hurting Ron as well, just by letting him hold me. Who else can I hurt today, since I'm obviously on a roll!' she thought. With each thought, she grew madder and madder at herself. She was going to explode and poor Ron was right in the war path.  
  
"That's enough you two," Arthur pleaded, but it made no difference to Hermione who actually said it.  
  
"Now, Fred and George are in trouble because of me, too?" she exclaimed bringing everyone's attention to her.  
  
"'Mione, just ignore them."  
  
She pulled back from him, "How can I Ron? All this is my fault!" she yelled Ron tried to say something to her, but she refused to hear it. "This is all MY fault. I'm the one who told Harry to ask Ginny to the Christmas Party. I'm the one who went after her and pushed her over the edge. I knew that someone should have gone after her right away, but I didn't do anything. I sat there for three hours, doing nothing. All this could have been prevented by m..."  
  
Ron didn't give her a chance to finish, "I sat there too, so did Harry. I told you and Harry not to go after Ginny. This is as much my fault as it is yours, or his, or anybodys."  
  
"Yeah, Ron, but that's the reason that I should have known that something had to be done. After all, it was you that was giving out orders." The twins chuckled to themselves, taking in the fact that Hermione just called their brother, well, a lot of different insults. "Harry is in a coma, Ginny has amnesia, and you and your family," she gestured to all of the red heads in the room, "you all are in so much pain all because of ME."  
  
"Hermione, dear, you can't blame this all..." Hermione spun around at the sound of the woman's voice.  
  
"No, Mrs. Weasley. I can, and I will. After all, this has to be someones fault. Why not mine?"  
  
Ron spun Hermione back around towards himself, and held her there, "Because blaming someone does not help anyone in this situation. It doesn't help Ginny in getting her memory back, it doesn't help Harry wake up, and it certainly doesn't help any of us feel better, since we all know damn well that this is not your fault." Hermione tried to escape his grasp and run, but he hung on to her, "No, you need to hear this," he told her. "This is NOT your fault because Ginny has a mind of her own and Harry has a mind of his own, too. Trying to put all of this on your shoulders does not help anyone. It only makes you and everyone around you feel worse." She turned her head at his last sentance, but he pulled it back. "This is not your fault, do you hear me?" She nodded. "Do you undersand me, this is not, nor will it ever be your fault." He let go of her, and using his thumbs removed the tears that were begining to fall down her face. "It's not your fault."  
  
Hermione completely lost control at his last words. Her knees went weak, and if it wasn't for Ron standing so close to her, she would have fallen to the floor at that moment. He caught her under the arms and held her up, just letting her sob on his shoulder. Everyone was in awe of him. They were his family, and they had never seen him do that before. The way he knew exactly what to say, and the way he said it. She turned to putty at his words and she truely believed him. He just stood there, holding her, stroking her hair and whispering things into her ear that no one but them could hear.  
  
"I will never let anyone hurt you. Never. I promise you that," Ron pulled back from her slightly, and spoke louder, so everyone could hear him, "no matter how stupid you think I am sometimes." Everyone laughed, and Hermione couldn't help but join them.  
  
"Well, you do make some pretty stupid decisions, sometimes."  
  
"I think we all should return to my office. Another outburst and we might wake Madame Pomfrey," Mrs. Weasley approached Hermione, "I can put on a spot of tea and whip up some cakes. What do you think?"  
  
Ron spoke up immediately, and his brothers snapped to attention at the same thought, "Food? I'm there!"  
  
"Boys and there food," was all Hermione could say before being taken by Mrs. Weasley to her office, but being followed shortly after by the Weasley men.  
  
"Oh, don't start that again, 'Mione!'" was all Ron could shout after her before his brothers swooped inon both sides.  
  
"Awe, was that not just the sweetest thing," Fred started.  
  
But George finished, "you have ever scene?"  
  
"Oh, come on you two, back off," Charlie said, pushing Fred ahead of him.  
  
Bill did the same thing to George, who was on the other side of Ron, "Yeah, you two should be taking notes. You could learn a thing or two from your younger brother here!"  
  
The twins, both being insulted, jumped on the remark, "Like what?"  
  
"Like how to treat a lady, for one," Percy suggested.  
  
"That is only if you call Hermione a lady," George commented.  
  
"She can't be if she sees anything in ikle-Ronnie-kins." Fred could barely finish his sentance before he was inturrupted by George.  
  
"OW! Bloody Hell Bill, why'd ya go and hit me for?" George said, rubbing his arm.  
  
"Wasn't me," Bill claimed.  
  
"It was me, and you better watch what you say about 'Mione if you don't want to end up in the hospital wing with Ginny. That goes for you, too, Fred!"  
  
"Awe," Persy sighed, but all of the Weasley Brothers were thinking the same thing.  
  
"What?" Ron asked, feeling very confused.  
  
All five of them had the same goofy look on their faces, and before Ron could get away, they had all ready closed in around him, forming a circle that he could not escape from. "Ron's in LOVE!" they chanted.  
  
"I AM NOT!" he denied, thankful to his dad for breaking up the 'brotherly bonding.'  
  
"BOYS!" Arthur scolded, turning all of their heads, "Leave your brother alone." The five elders all started walking away, and Arthur couldn't help but take Ron by the arm and escort him down the hall to his mother's office. But, he had this quirky grin on his face, like the others did seconds ago. "Just because your brother has found love before any of you oafs, doesn't mean that you have to be jealous."  
  
"I AM NOT IN LOVE!"  
  
"Yes you are," was the last comment made on the subject by all of the others.  
  
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A/N: My account finaly accepts ALL reviews! YEA! Hope you liked this chapter...I love a good tear jerker every now and then, and since I just got done with a conflicting conversation with my ex-boyfriend, I just felt like it. Hope you like it...tell me if you want more of it or not. There will definately be more of a Hermione/Ron thing building during the whole Ginny/Harry thing. STAY TUNED! PLEASE REVIEW! I'm still planning on putting up at least one chapter every night...but since my night is around 1:00 AM (Wisconsin Time), they might not always show up right away...Has anyone ever notice that you seem to get the best creatice juices in the early morning/late night??? Just a final thought. Thanks for reading...Thanks for reviewing! 


	7. Christmas Recaps

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN: CHRISTMAS RECAPS  
  
Christmas Holiday started as a very stressful time of year. Everyone was still shell shocked over Ginny's illness, and in horror about Harry's current condition. The first two days of it were spent in the hospital wing until Ginny was allowed to leave. She would have been released earlier, but when she was told that her mind was a week behind, she completely flipped out. No one had ever scene her that way, except for Ron, Harry and Hermione. She wouldn't believe them. Somehow her mind wouldn't even begin to imagine the possibility of having amnesia. In Ginny's mind, the world was against her.  
  
Before Madame Pomfrey could order everyone out of the room, Ginny had begun to throw things at her brothers' heads. There was no choice but to keep her hospitalized until she was able to face the truth. They had no choice but to magically tie her to her bed, and speak to her from behind a curtain. When she was finally released, she had new wounds to on her wrists and ankles from trying to break free of the straps that were holding her down.  
  
When Christmas Eve rolled around, and Ginny was sent back to Griffendor Tower, things looked up. She was now 'open' to the idea, although it still confused her. Luckily, there was another fifth year girl from Griffendor that was spending the break at Hogwarts. With her help, Ginny now knew what she learned in class, the assignments that were given out to be completed over Christmas, and the gossip from the week before. However, it was left up to Hermione and Ron to clue Ginny in on what happened out side of class. It was hard for her to understand everything that happened, and she couldn't believe the way that she acted during the Christmas Party and insisted that her brother was exagerating. (It was of course Ron who had to tell Ginny, because Hermione couldn't bring herself to it.)  
  
"I'm not exagerating, Gin," Ron explained to his sister, "You were seriously that out of control."  
  
"Honestly Ginny, it was as if you really wanted to hurt us," Hermione admitted, backing up Ron. "Like when we told you of your memory loss in the Hospital Wing. You had this glint in your eyes. It was almost," she hesitated, remembering the explosion that she had with Ron and unknowing of the response that she was going to get, "almost evil."  
  
No matter how indepth the description that her friends gave her, she didn't remember anything. The last thought she had, was of walking back to the school after quidditch practice. But that didn't stop anyone from trying to restore what she lost. Everyone was even making sure she had some new memories to keep her going.  
  
There were cozy fire side chats with her brothers, trips to see Hagrid, excuses not to see Gwarp. For the first week of vacation, the castle was anything but normal...Especially with the twins back in it. Flich was kept up to his ears with work, but he wasn't complaining. He missed having Fred and George around the castle causing mayhem and destruction. It gave him something to do. Now, with them gone, he only had cleaning to occupy his time. That, and lurking the corridors trying to find rule breakers.  
  
The day after Christmas, all of the residents in Griffendor Tower woke up with a 'BANG.' Literally, Fred and George decided to test out some new products. As people started putting on robes and slippers to see 'where the fire was,' missles speeded into rooms as doors opened. Some were shaped like dragons, like the ones Ron was woken by, and others like rainbows and butterflies, like the ones that Hermione and Ginny were sent. Normally, this wouldn't have been such a big deal during Christmas but with peoples' families staying in the school housing as well, there were plenty of people upset. All in all, as people were chased into the common room (and Ron and the other Weasleys chased Fred and George) they were greeted by a final show. An advertisement saying: "Happy Holidays! From Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes."  
  
The entire tower was evacuated for the afternoon while Flich helped the twins track down and stop all of the displays. They had really done quite a job on this batch. Unlike the fireworks from the year before, these could be put out by magic. But, you had to find them first. These ones had the ability to lay dormant. Some of them (for a higher fee, of course) were even able to transfigure themselves into common household items! (Could you just imagine grabbing a roll of toilet paper and having it explode while using it?)  
  
After all of the explosives were accounted for, everyone was allowed to return to their rooms, at 9:30 in the evening. Luckily, everyone was already dressed for bed since they were never able to change. Hermione thought it very funny that Ron was wearing nothing but his boxers that morning for breakfast.  
  
"Aren't you cold at all?" She teased after sitting down, "It is pretty chilly in the castle. Especially during winter!" Hermione started laughing. The other people at the table laughed as well. He was the only one who was shirtless out of the entire bunch that had been woken so abruptly that morning. Ron turned his usual shade of red from her teasing. "Awe, I'm sorry Ron, am I embarassing you?" She asked, still enjoing his discomfort.  
  
He just grumbled, "I'll get you back for this 'Mione. Just you wait until you least expect it," he muttered while he ate his toast. Luckily he didn't have to sit embarassed for very long. Soon enough Percy, who immediately grabbed his wand during the commotion that morning, came into the Great Gall and conjured him a shirt and pants with ease. But Ron still swore his revenge to Hermione for calling attention to him that morning. "You'll pay, Hermione. You'll pay."  
  
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With only a week left of break, Harry hadn't woken up yet, and it looked like he was going to stay that way for a while yet. No one was allowed to see him except for Professior Dumbledor and Remus Lupin. He wasn't in a coma, as Hermione thought, just sleeping. Madame Pomfrey told Hermione (who told Ron, who told his family) that she sometimes had to restrain him to his bed when he had nightmares.  
  
"I was thinking," Ron said when he returned from telling his parents about Harry.  
  
"That's a first for you," Percy joked, recieving many chants from his other brothers.  
  
"Shut it," he snapped at his brother, turing back to Hermione. "Why not just give him some Dreamless Sleeping potion?" he asked, "It's gotta be better than keeping him tied to the bed."  
  
Hermione just gave him a look that screamed 'DUH!' "Ron, Madame Pomfrey is trying to wake him up, not keep him sleeping," she shook her head at him. "Do you ever think before you open your mouth?"  
  
Ron just stared at her, as he started walking towards her. When he was within inches of her, she froze of anticipation. 'Is this actually happening?' she asked herself, but before Hermione could think of an answer Ron had placed his hands on the sides of her stomach, sending a shiver through her spine, and slid her the rest of the way over to him. There wasn't a spare inch between them and to Hermione the room was spinning. Every single Weasley was watching, waiting for the next move that their 'baby brother' would make. Slowly he leaned in and she closed her eyes. But he didn't kiss her.  
  
Ron leaned in further, until he reached her ear. It was torture to Hermione, but finally something happened. He whispered to her, "I never think before I do anything, 'Mione." He moved his head back from her ear and looked into her eyes. She was in heaven...until he got a goofy grin on his face and looked exactly as his brothers did the week before.  
  
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Ginny was coming down the stairs to join her brothers and Hermione in the common room, when she heard Hermione raise her voice to Ron, all she could think was, 'Not another fight. If they don't get together soon, they might actually start to hate eachother!' And she was very right until she walked in on the scene that was playing out between Ron and Hermione, with the others in the room dishing out cat calls.  
  
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A/N: I know....I'm so mean...but, at least I'm posting this chapter and the next in the same night. It's not like I'm making you wait a month or a week to see what exactly Ginny walks in on. Or should I? DUM DUM DUM! Oh well. Even I'm not that cruel. Please keep the reviews coming...I thrive on the comments! I don't care if you just say "OvenRoastedLemonSnizzles!" It's all in good fun, Right? 


	8. Black Out

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT: BLACK OUT  
  
There in the middle of the common room, in front of the fire, was Ron and Hermione. Except that Hermione was on the floor and Ron was kneeling over her. He had her pinned to the ground, but Ginny didn't get to see what was really happening.  
  
The room went dark and her head started spinning. For a moment she couldn't concentrate or even open her eyes. When she finally did, everything went blurry until she was looking at Hermione, all dressed up, with Ron and Harry standing farther behind her. They were outside the Great Hall. She heard the muffled sound of her own voice, vendictivly saying, "I trusted you. All of you, and this is what it gets me. I hate you all more than you can ever imagine. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE."  
  
Nothing was right in her head, as her mind re-played scenes from the weeks before. Backwards and forewards, some forgotten but most of them things she already knew. She closed her eyes, only to re-open them again. This time she saw her brothers, looking at her.  
  
"Ginny? Is everything OK? You don't look so good...Ginny!"  
  
But, the room went dark again and she had to close her eyes. She could hear her name being called. "Ginny..." It wasn't the voice of a Weasley, though, "Ginny!" It was Harry's voice, but she couldn't go to him. She was lying on the ground and it was cold. Her heart filled with joy at the sound of his voice, but saddened when she heard him fall next to her. Yet, there he was, still fighting for her. "Gin, are you alright, I've been so worried. Ginny?"  
  
To everyone around her, Ginny kept opening and closing her eyes. They tried to get her attention, but she wouldn't snap out of it. She couldn't. Her mind kept racing with images from her past. When she opened her eyes she saw nothing but red, but when she closed them she saw images. But all of them somehow familiar. Her storming out of the castle, her walking around aimlessly in the dark, trying to find Griffendor Tower from below. Summoning her broom and almost taking off on it straight away, but remembering that she was standing in snow.  
  
Ginny could see it all, but it wasn't like she was seeing herself in these flashes. She was herself. She threw on her cloak and kicked off hard from the ground. She just flew. First over and around the quidditch pit, then to Hagrids. She almost knocked, but then she thought to herself, 'No, this is the first place they'll look for me.' Rising back into the air, she flew to the only place left. Gwarps clearing. But Ginny just couldn't make herself land. She had to keep going. She couldn't let them find her!  
  
"NO!" She screamed, a look of horor on her face, "THIS ISN'T REAL."  
  
But no one could reach her. She could scream all she wanted, but to her, it was just a soft echo. Here she was flying, but deep down she could feel her feet still on the ground, her hand still on the rail. In her mind she was blowing off steam, and it was felt great. Ginny's mind was torn. Her heart told her she was in the common room, but her head told her she was outside, flying. There was a clearing below her, and she was tempted to land, but didn't have a choice. Something hit the side of her body and threw her off balance. There was a sharp pain in her side and an even greater one in her arm after she landed. She couldn't move. She felt paralyzed and alone.  
  
Her mind flashed foreward, past the point when Harry landed next to her, to a small room. Her body ached all over and she could feel the blood dripping down her temple. She was tied to a table at the ankles, stomach and neck. Painfully she turned her head.  
  
"NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME! PLEASE..." Ginny tried to scream, "Please!" but there wasn't sound to be heard in the small room. Only in her head (and in the common room) could her voice be heard. A large cloaked figure steped towards her, and she had to turn away. But away was worse. There, on the table next to her, was Harry tied in the same fashion as herself. "No...What have I done?" Ginny cried, closing her eyes. She was reliving a nightmare, or was it real? They said that she was gone for over five hours...could this be real?  
  
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Everyone in the common room cracked up as Ron's motives switched. He was now straddling Hermione, tickling her stomach. No one noticed Ginny coming down the stairs. Except Hermione. Seeing that Ginny was the only girl in the room, she had to try. None of the other Weasley's would help her out, they were enjoying themselves too much.  
  
"Gin!...You got...gotta get...your bro...brother off...off of me!...Plea..." It was quite a funny site. Hermione could barely get more than two words out between laughs. Anyone just entering the room, like Ginny, would have to double take to know just exactly what was going on. But she didn't. Her eyes glazed over, and her face completely paled. "Ginny...Ginny? What's wrong?" Hermione yelled, now trying to push Ron off herself, once and for all.  
  
"Oh, no! 'Mione, you're not getting off that easily," Ron scolded, "I told you I would get you back! I may be a fool, but I'm not that much of one."  
  
He was that much of one.  
  
Every other Weasley in the room took notice to what Hermione was saying, and they didn't take it lightly when they saw the face of their youngest sibling. She was standing on the landing overlooking the common room with her mouth gaping open, just looking at, no, 'through' Hermione and Ron. It was like she wasn't even in the room. By the time everyone reached her, and Bill had pulled Ron off Hermione, they couldn't move her. She was standing as stiff as a board, turning her knuckles white from gripping the banister so hard. They were too afraid to use magic on her, not knowing what was wrong. The only thing the could do was send Fred, George and Percy to wake Madame Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledor and their parents. That and watch in horror as Ginny's expressions changed.  
  
First she was mad, looking like she did the night of the party. Then she took a more content look, but still very pale. She opened her eyes, and shook her head as if she was coming out of it, but then snapped them shut again.  
  
Charlie moved up the stairs and towards her, feeling her face, tring to talk to her, "Ginny? Is everything OK?" but she didn't answer. She kept opening and closing her eyes, and bringing her hand to her face. It looked like she was trying to sheild her self from something, yet at the same time hold her head in pain. It was as if she were looking into the sun with a headache. Numerous times they tried to speak to her, but it was hopeless. There was nothing they could do for her.  
  
Hermione couldn't even watch. She just clung to Ron's shirt and burried her face in his chest. Just looking at Ginny's expressions brought tears to even Ron's eyes. There was his sister, with something horrible going through her head, and feeling every second of it. She had one hand clutching the banister, while the other flew to her side in agony. But that was before she started screaming.  
  
"NO!" She shouted, a look of horor on her face, "THIS ISN'T REAL."  
  
That was when her parents first entered the room. Seeing their only daughter, surrounded by her family and screaming, did not make for a pretty picture. But it didn't matter. She kept pleading and yelling. Suddenly she was crying, and trying to get away from something. Trying not to look at something, or someone, but no one watching her could tell what.  
  
"NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME! PLEASE..." was the last thing that she said while on her feet. Ginny had switched to a partial fetal posistion but was still clinging to the banister for life. She was almost hanging from it. She wasn't yelling anymore. She was shaking, and silent, waiting for something to happen. "No...What have I done?" was hissed from her lips as the headmaster and medi-witch entered the room.  
  
She released the rail screaming, "HARRY! HELP ME!" before rolling down the remaining five steps.  
  
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"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Harry Potter woke up screaming. The room was pitch black and he was tied to a bed. He didn't know where he was. For all that he could tell, he was still being held in the small room that he was in with Ginny. "GINNY? WHERE ARE YOU?" No one could hear his screams.  
  
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A/N: Thanks to all who are reviewing...especially kkroxyea! You made my night/morning with your ch. 7 review! Hope you enjoyed...ch. 9 will be up with in 20-24hrs and probably ch. 10 as well since I'm just teeming with ideas. But, I've gotta sleep....SO TOODLES 'TIL THEN!!!!!!!! 


	9. Floating

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER NINE: FLOATING  
  
As soon as they saw her slip, everyone of them but Ron (who was rocking Hermione) rushed foreward to stop her from falling. But only one remembered how to use magic. Luckily, before she had rolled too far off the landing, Professor Dumbledor had drawn his wand and cast a spell. Ginny was now floating overhead towards the door, with all of the Weasley's in shock. Some thought she was levitating, others thought they were seeing things. The sane ones turned around and followed the magic to the wand. But it wasn't the headmaster who commented on the gaping bunch, it Madame Pomfrey who first spoke, "Perhaps you would all like to accompany Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing? There are plenty of beds for you there."  
  
No one had to be told twice. The portrait was swung open and all eight of the remaining viewers followed the three of them out. Holding eachother, they made their way down the corridors, with nothing but the sounds of their own feet against the flooring. When they finally came with in viewing distance of the Hospital Wing, Mr. Weasley broke the silence, but he wasn't the first.  
  
"Do you hear that?"  
  
"Hear what Arthur?" Molly replied, removing her head from him shoulder.  
  
"GINNY WHERE ARE YOU???"  
  
"THAT!" He said, stopping at the sound of screaming, "Why, that sounds like," he was beat to the chase.  
  
Hermione and Ron had stopped as well, and now were both looking at eachother. They cut him off, speaking at the same time, "Harry!"  
  
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Harry could hear voices outside the room he was in. There was no light and he was completely confused. One moment he's tied to a table with Ginny next to him, the next he's tied to a bed in an empty room. Something wasn't right. Even the smell in the room was different, cleaner. (Not that he was complaining.) Harry just wanted answers to his questions. Every other time that Harry had lashed out and started screaming, he was meant with pain.   
  
Suddenly, a door opened and stream of light entered. The change in the room hurt Harry's eyes and he was forced to look away. Even only for a short while, he couldn't help but look. Slowly he turned his head back to the source of the light. Opening his eyes he could see her. "Bloody Hell...." he mumbled to himself.   
  
She was floating, stiff as a board, five feet off the ground. Her hair was dangling off and around her face. Ginny was pale, bleeding, and worst of all unconscious. He couldn't see who was behind all of this, but he was now sure that he was still in the same place, with the same people. Knowing that if he even spoke in the presence of the cloaked figures he would be struck with cursed. But he couldn't help but yell at the people holding him captive.   
  
"YOU BASTARDS! LEAVE HER ALONE!"  
  
"Harry Potter! Well I never expected to hear such talk coming out of your mouth," it was a woman speaking, but he stil couldn't focus properly. "You should be ashamed of yourself."  
  
"Who's there?" Harry noticed more figures entering the room, but it was still too dark inside the room to see who they were. "What have you done to Ginny? What has happened to her?"  
  
"We haven't done anything to her, Mr. Potter." The room was suddenly filled with candle light and the voice spoke again, "We were going to ask you what happen to her."  
  
Harry was relieved at the sound of the second speakers voice. It warmed him to the core and he recognized it immediately, "Pro-Professor Dumbledor?" His head started spinning at the thought of Ginny being safe. He forgot that he was tied down, and that other people had entered the room. Acting before he got a responce to his query, Harry tried to sit upright. "Ouch," he said as he studied the ropes holding him down. "Why am I tied up? Where am I?"  
  
"Oh deary, I forgot about those." Madame Pomfrey stepped up to his bed and quickly removed the restraints with a flick of her wrist. "You, Mr. Potter, are in the infirmary. And you were 'tied up' because you kept thrashing in your sleep."  
  
"Oh," was all Harry could say to that. He now knew who was scolding him before the lights came on. Madame Pomfrey's voice was familiar to him now that he could see. But what did he see? Actually, he couldn't really see anything, except the backs of people. There was the headmaster (with his unmistakeable hair), the assistant medi-witch, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Madame Pomfrey. They were all surrounding the bed across from him. "Ginny," Harry said quietly.   
  
He quickly sat up and threw his blanket off himself, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Before his feet could even hit the floor, Madame Pomfrey swooped in. "And what do you think you are doing?"  
  
"Well, I..." he started, not completely sure, "I don't know. I guess I wanted to see how Ginny was doing..."  
  
"She's doing fine. Much better than you, I must say."  
  
"Then why is she back here?"  
  
Ron finally entered the room. He couldn't wait any long to know if Harry was awake or just screaming in his sleep. "She fell down the stairs back in the common room," he said, painfully looking away from his sister's location.  
  
"Ron! Where have you been?"  
  
"Waiting in the hall," Hermione said, stepping out from behind Ron, "with all the others. We're supposed to be waiting outside until they get Ginny awake, again."  
  
"And that's where you should still be," Mrs. Weasley said, pushing them back out, "You can talk with Harry in a minute."  
  
"But, Mum..." Ron said, trying to step out of her gaze.  
  
"No, buts Ron." Arthur moved to the side of his wife, helping her move the uninjured children back into the hall.   
  
"Ginny!" Harry said, jumping out of bed and running to her side.  
  
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Ginny remembered everything that her friends had told her about. The party, the fight, her leaving, her flight over the forest. The moments were clear, but she still didn't know who had attacked her. She didn't know what happened in the room that she was held in with Harry. Everything was still confusing. She had gotten so many memories at the same time that it was still a little scrambled, not quite in the right order. Ginny had to think over what she had been told and what she remember and try to organize it.   
  
She was tired, and just wanted to sleep, but outside her she could hear concerned voices. People hustling and bustling about her bed, mixing potions and trying to get her to drink them. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she kenw whose they were. Her mother and father were there for most of the time since the had laid her down. Madame Pomfrey was giving orders, as usual, and Professor Dumbledor and the assistant medi-witch were asking questions. But there was one voice that she did not expect the hear. There was one voice that she could hear clear as a bell.   
  
Harry's.  
  
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A/N: Thanks to everyone that's been reviewing, and especially to everyone that's been reading. Chapter 10 will be up within a few hours....My creative streak came early today...probably from the different versions of Lemon Snizzles that I've been getting......I just had a sudden thought! From here on in, I will no longer use the word "REVIEW." I will now be thanking everyone for their awesome "SNIZZLES!" Hey...the word needed a definition anyways, why not make it relavant? 


	10. Falling Out

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TEN: FALLING OUT  
  
"Harry?" Ginny said, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She was tired and in pain, but she had to see if he was actually awake. She needed to know what he remembered, if he remembered.  
  
"Ginny!" Harry said, jumping out of bed and running to her side. No one could stop him, and he wasn't the only one that heard him. All of the Weasley children that were trying to poke their heads in the door heard her as well. Dumbledor wasn't even a match for the six Weasley boys. When the reached there, the found a shocking sight.   
  
Ginny was sitting up in her bed, but she was attached to Harry. It was hard to see who was hugging who. It was certain, though, that Ginny had no intentions of letting go of the poor boy, whos arms were now motioning for someone to pull her off of him. "Ginny...I can't breathe!"  
  
"Oh!" was all she said as she felt two of her brothers unwrapping her arms from his neck. "I'm sorry."  
  
"No," Harry said immediately, "I should be the apologizing to you! I never should have said any of those things. You know I didn't really mean them, right?"  
  
"Of course I know that!" Ginny said, lowing her head in shame, "But it's still all my fault. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about what you were talking about, and I shouldn't have run off. Especially into the woods. I still don't know why I did it," she said, pleading with him, "I guess Hermione was right, I 'was' trying to hurt all of you."  
  
Hermione stepped out from behind Harry, "I didn't mean it like that, Ginny."  
  
But she didn't even get to finish her sentance before Ron cut her off, "Wait!" he started, "You remember?"  
  
"Yeah," she said looking round at all of the concerned faces, "I remember everything now."  
  
"Everything?" Harry asked, "But what did you forget?"  
  
"She had amnesia, Harry,"Fred said.  
  
George picked up on his meaning and finished it off, "Where have you been?"  
  
Everyone laughted, including Ginny. But she stopped suddenly and retook the confused look she had the first time she woke up the week before. "Why am I in the Hospital Wing?"  
  
"Oh, well," Hermione started, but had to stop herself. She couldn't bear to relive what happened in the common room.  
  
"The last thing I remember was everyone rushing towards me, and thinking, 'Too much red!'" She giggled to herself, remembering all the times that she had had that thought.  
  
"Well, you were standing on the stairs when you starting making weird faces." Bill said.  
  
"And then you started screaming. We didn't know what to do. You were clinging to the banister for life and we were all too afriad to use any magic on you." Percy continued, leaving the rest to someone else.   
  
Ron spoke up to story, "Then you curled up and started crying. Before any of us knew, you were rolling down the stairs," he paused, holding back a tear. "It was the scarriest thing, Gin."  
  
"What I would like to know, is what happened to make Ginny regain her memory?" There was a break in the wall of red-heads, as Dumbledor made his was through to Ginny's bed. "Tell me Ms. Weasley, what was the last thing that happened, before you had all these 'flashes.'"  
  
"Well, I heard Ron and Hermione getting themselves into another row in the common room," Ginny said. Ron and Hermione just turned red, knowing where the story was going. Their embarassed faces almost blended in with all of the Weasley standing around them. "So I decided to come down and see what they were fighting about. When I got to the landing, I..." Ginny didn't know what to say. She wasn't exactly sure what she had seen. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what I saw, but I guess," thinking carefully about what words to choose to describe the scene that she saw, she said, "I saw Ron 'on top' of Hermione..."  
  
She didn't choose her words well enough. Before she could continue describing what she had scene, her mother butted in. "Ronald Weasley, what in the name of Merlin were you doing on top of Hermione?" She was serious, and giving Ron one of her 'You better have a good explaination for this one' looks. But Ron didn't have to be the one to defuse his mother. The entire room of Weasley Brothers (excluding Ron) started laughing when their mother began to grill their brother for what he was 'doing' with Hermione earlier.  
  
"Mum you should have seen it," George started, not noticing the look on his mum's, "it was amazing."  
  
"Better than anything we've ever done!" Fred said, attracting an even more evil look to his mother's face. "He started in real slow-like, acting like he was gonna kiss 'er, but then, before ya know it, he's go 'er on the floor!"  
  
Bill, being directly across from Molly, noticed the looks that she was sending Ron. "Mum, don't worry. Ronnie was a perfect gentleman." She sent him a glare that he red like a book, 'Where does Ron become a gentleman in this story?' Everyone could read that off her face. "Mum, mum, nothing happened. It was Ron's version of revenge. He just was sitting on Hermione, tickling her. It was nothing."   
  
The comforting look that waved over Mrs. Weasley's face brought laughter to everyone's face. Except Ron, who voiced his opinions to his mother, "Honestly, Mum." He was glad that he wasn't in trouble, but to think that she immediately thought the worst of him was something that...well, it was well justified after everything that he had done at Hogwarts.  
  
But Madame Pomfrey, who was finding the situtation amusing, wasn't completely clear on something. "Ginny?" she asked, quieting the laughter, "What about that whole experience made you re-experience your memories from in the woods?"  
  
"Well, I started remembering things after I looked up, and saw everyone pointing and laughing the two of them on the floor," she said, re-living her trip down the stairs, trying to figure out the exact moment that she started having memory flashes. "Yeah, it was when I saw everyone else."  
  
"But what does all of us 'laughing and pointing' have to do with what you remember?" Charlie asked, growing more and more confused with the whole idea of losing and regaining memories.  
  
Ginny tried to think, but she had no clue. "I don't know," was all she could honestly say.  
  
"Maybe I can answer that," it was the first thing that Harry had said since he first learned that Ginny had amnesia. When he started hearing how she recovered her memory he thought about what he remembered from the Forbidden Forest. "Ginny what do you remember about the room we were in?"  
  
"Nothing really," she thought about it for a moment, "it wasn't the brightest place. Actually it was very dim. All I could see was you on the table next to me."  
  
Harry wanted to be sure of what she remembered before he came to a conclusion about her memory. "And that's it?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, "Oh! Wait. We were tied up and there were other people in the room."  
  
"Do you remember what they looked like?" he coaxed. He knew that he could make her figure this out on her own.  
  
Ginny closed her eyes and thought. She knew the answers to the question, she just couldn't remember. But then it hit her, "They were tall and all of them were wearing robes." She kept her eyes closed, trying not to lose the memory. Harry just sat on her bed looking at her, nodding at what she was saying. "You couldn't see their faces at all, and..." she started to cry at the images that were flashing through her mind, "...and they just kept laughing and laughing. They wouldn't stop."  
  
Harry placed a hand over one of hers, trying to comfort her. "Why were they laughing Ginny?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Yes you do. Just think. Why were they laughing at us?"  
  
Ginny suddenly became furious at Harry. "I DON'T KNOW!" But she didn't expect what came with her rage. She started having flashes, again, of all the times recently when she became angry. Everytime it was after she had been hurt. She brought her knees to her head and wraped her arms around her legs, trying to stop all the memories from getting into her mind. When she started rocking back and forth in her bed, the connect finally hit her. "Pain."  
  
It was like a bolt of lightening, it hit her. That one word opened the door to the memory that Harry was getting at. There stood ten cloaked figures, all with their wands out, laughing at her. There she was, tied to a table, with Harry laying a few feet away from her, cringing in pain. She could hear his screams, and it was all she could do but scream out for them to stop. "STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She was trying to plead with them. They stopped, but just as suddenly started laughing and pointed their wands at her. 'Crucio!'   
  
"AAAAHHHHH!" Ginny sat up as quickly as she had hunched over. She looked at Harry, who knew exactly what she was thinking. Choking back her tears, she told him. "They were laughing at our pain. Bloody Hell, Harry, the had us both under an unforgiveable." The room echoed with gasps of shock from everyone but them. To Harry and Ginny, it was all still real. "Ten of them," she continued not being able to hold back her sobs any longer, "all of them with there wands pointed at us, yelling Crucio."  
  
She couldn't even hold herself upright and Harry now was holding her, rocking her and whispering comforting words that only he could say. Everyone was frozen with rage as they looked on. They had been tortured by ten different adult wizards. 'How were they still alive?' was the question that anyone would ask in that situation. But no one dared to speak. Not a single eye in the place was dry, although a few tried to hide their tears. There was an immense amount of pain and suffering between the two, as they sat there, holding eachother.  
  
They were still alive, and everyone had to be happy about that.   
  
Ron was the first to break the silence. There was a question on his mind that was boring a hold through his mind, and after ten minutes of watching Harry and Ginny sit there he had to ask. "U-hmm," Ron cleared his throat so that he didn't just abruptly break the silence. "I think I'm asking the question that we all want the answers to." He looked around the room, trying to read some of the faces, and when he could finally look at both Harry and Ginny, he asked, "Who attacked you?"  
  
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A/N: Don't forget to SNIZZLE! (It almost sounds dirty...) 


	11. Together At Last

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER ELEVEN: TOGETHER AT LAST  
  
Ron was the first to break the silence. There was a question on his mind that was boring a hold through his mind, and after ten minutes of watching Harry and Ginny sit there he had to ask. "U-hmm," Ron cleared his throat so that he didn't just abruptly break the silence. "I think I'm asking the question that we all want the answers to." He looked around the room, trying to read some of the faces, and when he could finally look at both Harry and Ginny, he asked, "Who attacked you?"  
  
Ginny thought about it for a moment before answering, "I don't know. It was too dark to see clearly."  
  
"Same goes for me," Harry said.  
  
"Well what about voices? Did you recognize any of them?" Bill, who was nodding to everything that Ron said, had a few question of his own. "I mean, between the two of you, you should have an extensive memory of Death Eaters' voices. If it was them." He said the last sentance quietly.  
  
"I can't really put a thumb on any of the voices," Ginny said. "My head hurt so badly and they didn't really talk. They just laughed inbetween curses."  
  
Bill was about to ask another question, but Harry inturrupted with a thought that he had. "Besides that, most of the Death Eaters' that either Ginny or I have come up against are back in Azkaban." There were nods all around the room to Harry's point.  
  
"Alright, I've think that we 'all' have had enough excitement for a lifetime, tonight. It's time that everyone goes back to their rooms, and that these to take a sleeping potion."  
  
"Madame Pomfrey, I'm not at all tired, and I really don't feel like sleeping..." Harry didn't feel like sleeping. He had been sleeping for the past week and going back to sleep just made him worry about not waking up again.  
  
"Harry, I do not have the energy, nor do I have the patience to argue with you," she just sighed, seeing his determination not to go back to sleep, and noticing Ginny's as well, "You both may remain awake for another hour while I prepare a fresh batch of the potion, but after that I will have no more arguments." A slight smile came to Madame Pomfreys face as she turned to leave the room, "Or I will tie you both back down to your beds, are we clear?"   
  
"Yes Ma'am," they both chirped.  
  
"Fred, George, Percy, Bill, Charlie," Mrs. Weasley said, "Why don't we all leave and let Ron, Ginny and Hermione bring Harry up to speed on the past week." This wasn't a request. It was a patent Molly Weasley 'Do it or I'll have you wishing you never were born,' order. Most people thought of Mrs. Weasley as was one of the kindest and genltlest of people. But, get catch her when she was sleep deprived and you really would wish that you were never born. Her children could verify that as a fact, and all of them that were summoned turned and left after bidding 'Goodnight' to the ones who were allowed to stay.  
  
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"Not to sound like a prat," Harry said after the four of them were left alone, "But your mum really scares me sometimes, Ron."  
  
"You don't live with her," Ron said back, thinking about some of the times when he got into trouble.  
  
Hermione just laughed at him, "Neither do you while you're at Hogwarts." Seeing the look on Ron's face suddenly made Hermione wish that she hadn't said anything. The last time that she had proven Ron wrong, she ended up being sat on. "Ronald Weasley," she said, running to the other side of Harry for protection, "you stay away from me!" Ginny and Harry just laughed.   
  
"So, what is going on between you two?"  
  
"NOTHING."  
  
"Sure, what do you think, Harry?" Ginny had an odd smile on her face. "Do you think it's nothing?"  
  
Harry walked around to the other side of the bed and took a good look at Ron, "I can't be sure, yet." He had the same smile. Without warning, Harry was whispering something into Ron's ear.   
  
Within moments Ron's face turned red, from cheek to ear. Ginny and Hermione just looked on and laughed as Ron tried to hide his embarassment from the girls, promptly beating him up. All you could hear between hits to the arm, was Ron grumbling, "I'll get you Potter."  
  
"Ow, Ow, OW! Ron, remember who just woke up in the hospital here." Hermione just kept laughing, but Ginny regained her evil grin.   
  
"Well, Harry, what's your decision?"   
  
"It's not nothing to Ron," he said as he looked at Hermione, "but I think that Hermione here needs a test as well."  
  
Hermione knew exactly what was coming and ran from where Harry was coming from to Ginny's side. "Stay away from me Harry."  
  
Ginny gave a quick wink to Harry, "Oh, don't worry, Hermione," she said, quickly getting to her knees and putting her fists up into the air, "Harry won't dare come near you while I'm here." Only Hermione didn't see it coming. Ginny grabbed her around the shoulders, and quickly said something that only the two of them could hear.   
  
Without hesitation Hermione was scarlet and it was Ron's turn to laugh. "That settles it." Ron stopped laughing.  
  
"Gin, what's settled?"  
  
Ginny just rolled her eyes, "You are so dense sometimes."  
  
"Will you two just tell me!" Ron said.  
  
Ginny just stared at her brother, dumbfounded. "What? Do you need it spelled out?"  
  
Harry looked at her, "Ginny, think about who you are talking to."  
  
She rolled her eyes again, and started slowly telling Ron the obvious, stopping to point and draw pictures in the air with her hands. "You...and Hermione...are meant...for...each...oth..er!"  
  
"Ginny, I think you fell down those stairs and hit your head harder than you think."  
  
"Hermione, don't try to deny it! You know it's true."  
  
"Harry...you, you know," Ron was trying to keep his face from matching his hair, but Harry couldn't help butting in.  
  
"That you and Hermione are mad for eachother," Harry said, "You have been since the second year."  
  
"We have not!"  
  
Harry just mocked the face that Hermione made, "Ron, you even 'ate slugs' for her." Ron ran a hand through his hair.  
  
But before he regained his voice, Ginny spoke up, "And Hermione," she said, "why did you think that Ron was gonna kiss you earlier?" But instead of answering, she just turned. "Come on! Are you two ever gonna grow up?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, "You can face Death Eaters, but you can't face eachother?"  
  
"Well," Ron said, "That's different."  
  
"Oh come off it Ron," Ginny said, "You are in LOVE with the girl. I heard from Bill what happened after Harry and I were found."   
  
"What happened?" Harry became confused and frustrated, not being told what he slept through.  
  
"They were snogging outside in the hall." Ginny said.  
  
"Virginia Weasley We Were NOT!" Ron screamed at her in shock. "I was just comforting 'Mione, you kno..." he said, totally in denial.  
  
"The only way someone who loves her could." Ginny didn't realize the reason why Ron let himself be cut off. She wasn't looking. Ginny foolishly closed her eyes to keep from rolling them, but when she opened them, she gasped. Harry had the same expression. "Get a room," was all that Harry could say, without closing his mouth.  
  
"Get out of this room." Oops. That wasn't Ginny speaking, although Ron and Hermione wished that it was. "You heard me! It's been an hour, and my patients need their rest. So out, out with you!"   
  
How embarassing! Sharing your first kiss, and having the school nurse walk in on you. Just imagine the shade of red that those two turned. Not to mention the tint of purple Ginny and Harry turned from laughing so hard.  
  
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A/N: Question 1: Who started the term SNOGGING? Was it Rowling?  
  
Question 2: For future refrence, Did Rowling write that Head Boys/Girls get private rooms? Or was it a FanFiction thingy?  
  
I don't have a great memory. Oh well! DON'T FORGET TO SNIZZLE!  
  
[Oh yeah, sorry the chapter is so short....I went to a musical...Thought that it was gonna be only 1.5 hours....nope! 3 HOURS LONG!!!] 


	12. Routine As Usual

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWELVE: ROUTINES AS USUAL  
  
Christmas Vacation came to a happier end than anyone thought was possible. Ginny and Harry were both released the day after their 'falling out' and spent the remaining time enjoying hot chocolate and snowball fights. Everything was as it should be, full of laughter and happiness. Most of the time the laughter came from making remarks towards Hermione and Ron.  
  
For two people who denied that they had feelings for eachother for the five and a half years of being in school together, they sure didn't waste time. There wasn't a waking moment that they didn't spend together, alone. It was as if they decided to shut out the rest of the world to learn the details they didn't know. Likes, dislikes, favorites, goals, ambitions, home life, dreams, etc., etc., etc. Harry and Ginny were both getting tired of walking into the Great Hall for breakfast, starving, and then completely loosing their appetite for the entire day. There was just something about seeing two people (especially when one of them is your brother) snogging in the morning. There was no end to their feelings for one another, once they had been released. The two 'love birds' had even stopped fighting.   
  
Once school started back up, Harry and Ginny both found that the grades they were recieving were better than they had ever been. They spent almost all of their free time in the library, to keep away from Ron and Hermione. Not that they didn't want to spend time with their friends, but the constant baby talk, and the excessive kissing were enough to drive anyone away. The only safe place was the library. (Madame Pince was very much against public displays of affection.)  
  
Time was going by faster than it should have been, and it had already been three weeks since Ginny had completely regained her memory. But, she hadn't really dealt with what she had been through. Everyone thought that it was best if she, and Harry, came to terms with their 'experiences' in their own time. No one really realized how much of an affect it had on either of them. They didn't see anything coming.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
It was the last class of the week for Ginny. Double Potions. She was ready to get out of the dungeons and relax. It was a Hogsmead weekend, and she had plans with Hermione, for once. If only the time would go by faster, then she could go back to the common room and plan out her weekend with Hermione. But, Snape had them working on a very hard potion that was to prepre them for their O.W.L.S., which were coming up at the end of the year. Ginny knew that if she kept letting her mind wander, that she would ruin her potion. From what Harry had told her about his 'experiences' the year before, it was something that you didn't want to do. The humilation was unbearable. No matter how much you told yourself that it was just Snape, it seemed to hurt the most.  
  
So she kept her focus, paying particular attention to how finely she was chopping her herbs. Unfortunately, Colin wasn't. He didn't realize that he had grabbed the wrong ingrediant, and before Ginny could stop him, he add it. Big mistake. The entire cauldron looked like a miniature nueclear explosion, and Colin's face didn't look any better. Everyone in class was giggling.  
  
Not for long. "Mr. Creevy?" The room went silent. "Do you know why I put instuctions on the board before you start making a potion?" There wasn't even enough time for Colin to attempt to guess what Snape wanted him too say. "So that 'you' follow them." The Slytherins in the room started to snicker as the professor continued. "Perhaps next time you will take notice to them and..."   
  
"STOP IT!"  
  
Snape looked up. There, standing behind him was a very angry red-headed Gryffendor. She was standing there fists balled and glaring directly at him, completely unaware of what she was doing. "Excuse me, Miss Weasley? What did you say?" She stood there, not evening hearing him. Just glaring. "You should pay more respect to your elders. Fifty points from..." but fortunately for the Gryffendor House, Snape didn't get to finish his last sentance.  
  
"LEAVE US ALONE!"   
  
As if something had just struck Ginny in the back of the head, her face switched into a pained expression as she cluched her head by the ears and dropped to her ears. People started circling around her, but jumped back as she started rocking, screaming, twitching and shaking. They were all scared. Especially Snape who now knew what was going on.  
  
He had heard about her experience in the Forbidden Forest over Christmas Break from the other professors, none of whom had expected her to have a relapse. Everyone who knew about the incident thought that after she regained her memory that the she was in the clear. But the worst was far from over. There she was, in the middle of the classroom, in complete hysterics. No one knew what to do.  
  
"You, Mr. Creevy, go and fetch Madame Pomfrey from the Hospital Wing."   
  
He didn't need to be told twice by Professor Snape to do something. Before he even finished his command, Colin was running out the door and up to find Madame Pomfrey. He knew about what happened to Ginny, and recognized what she was screaming as what she started screaming when she got her memory back. It was scarry seeing your best friend in pain. But seeing them in pain from a memory? It just didn't seem possible. It wasn't real.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Ginny woke up in the infirmary. "Not again," was all she could say. She didn't remember what she did to get her self hospitalized, again, but she knew that it wasn't going to be a good thing. Slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting posistion and looked around. Her mother and father were talking to Madame Pomfrey, Hermione was sleeping on Ron's shoulder, and Harry was holding her hand. 'He's kinda cute when he's sleeping,' she thought.  
  
Looking down, she saw Harry, sleeping with his head on her bed, while the rest of him sat on a chair. It was such a sweet gesture, but she didn't get to enjoy it for long. "Ginny! You're up." It was like a magic phrase. The second that Madame Pomfrey finished saying it, the entire audience sprung to life around her. Ron took some poking from Hermione before he was completely awake, but once he was, there was no stopping him. "Hey Ginny!"  
  
"Hey Ron. What happened this time," she asked sarcastically, "How long have I been sleeping?"  
  
"Almost the entire weekend," Hermione said, taking a seat at the foot of her bed.  
  
It was kinda depressing for Ginny to realize that she had spent her entire weekend sleeping. Especially when she was looking forward to spending it with Hermione. "Oh."  
  
"But, don't worry Ginny. We'll have all of next weekend to hang out together. It's not like school ends tomorrow." Hermione was trying to stay positive. She knew that Ginny had been looking forward to the Hogsmead trip ever since she made Hermione promise to go shopping with her. And now, she had just slept through it.  
  
"Unfortunately, Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey said, "until we figure out why Miss Weasley here is having these 'flash backs,' so to speak, she won't be doing anything strenuous."  
  
Ginny wasn't exactly sure what activities qualified as strenuous, but she certainly didn't like the idea of having to be 'figured out.' "How long will it take?"  
  
"We can't be sure, but until then you will have to stay here. Another outbreak, like the one you had in your Potions class, could end up with people being injured."  
  
"Injured?" Ginny was confused, "What exactly happened?"  
  
"It seems that you started yelling at Professor Snape, and then broke into hysterics. You had everyone in the room, including Professor Snape, scarred."  
  
"But really Madame Pomfrey," she said, "Staying here? How will I keep up with my lessons and assignments?" panic suddenly swept over Ginny as she continued ranting, "What about the O.W.L.S.? How will I stay ontop of my studying from inside the Hospital Wing?"  
  
"Well, we'll just have to see how it goes."  
  
"Ummm. This isn't fair." Ginny looked to Harry for sympathy. "How come I'm the only one getting flashes? You were there, too."  
  
"I don't know Gin, but something tells me that Madame Pomfrey is going to be studying me, too." Harry tried to cheer her up, "Hey," he said "at least it will be another thing we get to do together!"  
  
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A/N: Not to put a damper on your day, but I may not be able to post tomorrow....Sad, I know, but I'm supposed to help paint the house tomorrow. FUN! Or not. But, I'll try. At least I didn't leave you at a cliff hanger...then I could understand a whole bunch of flaming snizzles. Oh, and for those of you whole were wondering, I went to see "Fiddler On the Roof" yesterday. That's all I gots ta say.....except...SNIZZLE!!! SNIZZLE!!! SNIZZLE!!! 


	13. Two Hour Limit

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: TWO HOUR LIMIT  
  
"I'm sooooooooo bored!"  
  
"At least you don't have to goto class. Talk about boring!"  
  
"Trust me, I'd rather be in class." It had been two weeks since Ginny's little 'outburst' in Professor Snape's class. Ever since then, she wasn't allowed to leave the Hospital Wing, or even her bed. She could only have visitors for two hours a day, and she was expected to keep up with all of her school work. "You know what?"  
  
"No Ginny, what?" Colin knew what was coming. He had been visiting her every single day, bringing her all of her school work and keeping her up to date on the latest gossip. In the past two weeks, Ginny had started many sentances with 'You know what.' All of them ended the same.  
  
"You are a really good friend."  
  
He started laughing. The second that she started talking, he began to mouth words along with her. But he must have gotten the wrong script because what he said was different from what she said.   
  
Ginny just looked at him. "What?" she asked, "Do I have something in my teeth?"  
  
"No," he said, holding in his laughter long enough to point to her bedside table, "You would have to actually eat something to have something in your teeth."  
  
She looked next to her. There was a covered tray of, well, she didn't know. "Well, if I could eat without feeling sick, I would."  
  
Colin rolled his eyes at her, "Do you even know what they sent you today?" He made a move for the lid of the tray.  
  
Grabbing his arm, mid air, she said, "Lift that cover and you will be spending more than just a few hours a day in here."  
  
"Ok, ok!" Colin pryed his wrist from her grip. "You know, you should tell Madame Pomfrey about this." He gave her a concerned look, "This might be making you worse. Besides, I can't just keep eating your food for you. Eventually she'll notice."  
  
"Well, hopefully 'eventually' will be after I'm out of here," she gave a hopeful smile, "and it's not like I'm starving myself."  
  
"Like the crackers that Hermione bring you really give you the nutrition that you need."  
  
"When did you become my doctor?" she asked in a voice that made him laugh.  
  
"Ah! Colin, you're still here?" Madame Pomfrey said as she entered the room.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Bringing Ginny her assignments for today."  
  
"Well, good," she started heading towards the untouched tray beside Ginny.  
  
"Oh, Madame Pomfrey," Colin said, jumping to his feet, "don't worry about that. I'll take it down with me when I leave."  
  
"Well, you best be leaving now, Mr. Creevy. I think you have been here for long enough. Besides," she said, turning back towards Ginny, "Your brothers are coming by soon."  
  
"Brothers?" Ginny said, emphasizing the 's.'   
  
"Bye Ginny!" Colin said, grabbing the tray from around Madame Pomfrey, "I'll see you tomorrow?"  
  
"Yes, of course," she said, "and 'thank you' for taking the tray."  
  
Colin gave her a slight wink, "It's no problem."  
  
Madame Pomfrey gave him a slight nod, "Goodbye Mr. Creevy," but then quickly turned her attention back to her patient. "Now, Ginny. As I was saying, your brothers, Fred and George, will be coming by later tonight."  
  
"Really!"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Hey Gin!" Fred and George walked into the room. They had obviously just gotten off work because they were wearing their matching suits, again. "Are they still keeping you under lock and key?" George asked, handing her flowers and then giving her a hug.  
  
"Oh! These are beautiful! Thank you," she set them on her table.   
  
Fred came up to the other side of her and gave her a hug, as well. "If you like those, I know that you'll love these!" Pulling his arm out from around him, he handed her a box of chocolates. "Last time I was here, Madame Pomfrey didn't give sweets to her 'patients.'"  
  
Ginny gladly took the box from her brother, hiding her disgust for anything with flavor. "Well, then you must have been here yesterday, cause she still doesn't."  
  
"Well, we don't really have a lot of time to chat," Fred said.  
  
As usual, George finished, "Madame Pomfrey is only giving us ten minutes."  
  
"Ugh! This is so sickening. You're my own brothers!"  
  
"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you become an unsolved mystery."  
  
Ginny became angry at the thought of still having to be studied. "It's not like I've been having anymore 'flashes.' All this is doing is keeping me from seeing anyone. It's not fair!"  
  
"What is?"  
  
"Harry was the one who was asleep for a week, and he doesn't even have to come in for checkups."  
  
A smile came to Fred's face, "But Harry didn't verbally attack Snape."  
  
George started cracking up at the thought. He sighed, "Ahhh, Ginny, I wish I could have been there. I hear you scared him pretty, good?"  
  
"I scared everyone." She wasn't laughing. That whole thing was what landed her in this prison.   
  
They talked for twenty minutes. Somehow Fred and George had a way of buttering up Madame Pomfrey, but only to a point. Once she realized that they were using the same look that they used to get out of trouble for all the sickness causing candies they created the year before, she sent them packing. Those twenty minutes were the highlight of her day. Almost the highlight of her week.   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
It was actually quite sad, really. No one really came to visit her. Except Colin. He came everyday. Hermione, Ron and Harry stopped by every once and a while, but other than them, her only other 'guest' was her mother. It was very lonely being stuck in a bed all day and night long. She missed walking, running, jumping, flying, everything! She spent twice as much time on her homework, just to have something to do. Something to concentrate on. Nothing is right in the world when you want more assignments to keep you busy.  
  
Time really didn't pass by in the Hospital Wing. It just kind of drifted, lingered. You had to push it along by doing, well, anything. Ginny learned many muggle card games from the assistant medi-witch, who became one of her closer friends during her stay. Most of them you could play by yourself. And, with a charm on the cards, all of them could be played alone. Not that she was always alone. Other students spent the night in the infirmary. But they were usually too sick to talk to her, let alone cheer her up. It was actually the night after Fred and George came to visit that she truely became happy for the first time in weeks.   
  
Harry came to visit.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
It was almost one in the morning when she heard the door to the room open, and almost a full ten seconds when she almost started screaming. Without any noise or any indication of being there, Harry appeared from nothingness. Not that she hadn't seen him use him cloak before, but usually she saw him materialize from a few feet away.   
  
This time, when he came into view, it was with him two inches from her face. She barely blinked. All of a sudden Ginny found him there. She would have woken Madame Pomfrey (and landed herself into even deeper seclusion) but Harry anticipated this. Before she even got to process the thought of screaming, his hand was covering her mouth.  
  
"Shhhh! Ginny," he said, "Do you want her to think that you're having nightmares?"  
  
"Weh hen ahke ore and ughf meyi aouth!" ***  
  
"What?" he said, moving his hand.  
  
"Nevermind," she said, sitting up to meet his gaze. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.  
  
Harry had this bright glint in his eyes as he spoke. "I've got a way for you to get out of here."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: Painting got cancelled! Woo hoo! You may not be able to see it, but I'm dancing right now! Really, I am! Oh well, enjoy the best...  
  
***A dozen lemons to whoever can guess what Ginny is trying to say***  
  
~SNIZZLE!~ 


	14. Sickle For Your Thoughts?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: SICKLE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?  
  
It was almost one in the morning when she heard the door to the room open, and almost a full ten seconds when she almost started screaming. Without any noise or any indication of being there, Harry appeared from nothingness.   
  
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.  
  
Harry had this bright glint in his eyes as he spoke. "I've got a way for you to get out of here."  
  
'I'm too tired for this!' she thought, giving him a funny look, "You know," she said, "you need to be in here more than I do. You're crazy." Ginny just scoffed at him, "Nothing is going to get Madame Pomfrey to let me out of here. Nothing short of the Hand of Merlin."  
  
"How about the 'Hand of Dumbledor?'"  
  
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Ginny started screaming, but this time, Harry couldn't get his hand to her mouth quick enough. Another person had entered the room after Harry, but he didn't make a sound. From behind a privacy curtain appeared none other than the Headmaster, obviously just waking himself.   
  
"Q U I E T." Harry grabbed Ginny's face with both of his hands, cupping her cheeks, "You're going to wake up Madame Pomfrey."  
  
"Too Late," a fourth party entered the room, but this one scared Ginny the most. "If you're going to have a late night party, you could at least do the rest of the school a favor and put a silencing charm on the room." Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she looked up for the first time and saw Dumbledor standing behind Harry, and like Ginny became very startled. "Oh My Goodness!" she said, putting a hand to her heart, "You startled me."  
  
"I've been having that effect tonight," was all he said. There was the patient cheer in his voice and twinkle in his eye.  
  
"So I've heard," she said, giving a stern look at Ginny, but then moving it to Harry. "What is going on here?"  
  
"That's what I want to know. Harry?" Ginny asked.  
  
He was dumbfounded. Going up against the wrath of both Ginny and Madame Pomfrey scared the living daylights out of him, and suddenly he lost all of his thoughts. There was a brilliant reason for waking both Ginny and Professor Dumbledor up this early in the morning, but now he couldn't remember. "Ummm," he said. 'Think! Think! Think!'  
  
"Well, Mr. Potter, what is your reasoning?"  
  
'Come on Harry! Remem...' there was a sudden boost in his memory as he thought about 'remembering.' "Ma'am, I think there is a way for us to find out what happened the night of the 'attack' and for you to be able to release Ginny."  
  
"Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey said, "The only reason that I am keeping Ginny here is so that I can insure her safety and the safety of the other students as well. Now, unless this 'plan' of yours can assure me that, as well as answer my other questions, she will not be leaving this ward."  
  
"But I can."  
  
She just gave him a confused look, "How?" she asked, "How can you be positive that she will not have any more memory flashes?"  
  
Professor Dumbledor took this question. He wanted the answers to his questions about the attack as much as any other person, but he also wanted sleep. There was no quick way that Harry could explain and convince Poppy Pomfrey, even with the plan that he had created she wouldn't take it seriously. Unless, it was pitched by him. "By removing her memories."  
  
"What?"   
  
"Hold on there!" Ginny said, "I get my memories back, and now you want to take them away from me?" She was freaked out of the idea of literally losing her mind again. But, what scared her even more, was that Dumbledor moved behind the curtain that he originally was behind and started mumbling a spell.  
  
"No, Ginny," Harry said noticing her fear and anger of the situation, "You'll still have your memories, you just wouldn't be constantly thinking about them."  
  
She gave him the same look that she gave him the first time he mentioned getting her out of there. "How?"  
  
Dumbledor came around from behind the privacy curtain. "By using this." In his hands was a bowl, but it was truely fascinating. There was the light coming off it. Silver in color and dancing all over the room and reflecting off objects that were not ment to give off a reflection. In it was a swirling liquid that matched the color of the the light it was giving off. When it was set on the table, that appeared from thin air across Ginny's bed, it calmed.   
  
"What is that?" she asked, in awe of it's appearance.  
  
"This," the headmaster said, "is a pensieve."  
  
"A what?"  
  
Harry translated, "A bowl of silvery goo that actually contains memories."  
  
"And how does it work?" she asked, still unable to draw her eyes away from the refracting lights coming off the bowl and flowing onto the walls.  
  
"By removing a thought and placing it in the bowl. While it's in there you can watch it play out. Everything down to the finest detail will be in there," Professor Dumbledor said, "Even the details that you can't clearly remember."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Harry was now confused. "Alright what?"  
  
"Let's do this," Ginny said, finally taking her eyes off the pensieve.  
  
"Ok," Madame Pomfrey said, coming closer to the bed.  
  
"What, are we all going to watch?" Ginny asked, disturbed at the thought of other people seeing inside her memories. When they all nodded, she just sighed. "Might as well invite the entire school and charge admission."  
  
"Well, here," Dumbledor said, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a coin, "have a sickle for your thoughts."  
  
Ginny just rolled her eyes, "Funny."   
  
Harry just looked at him, deciding to play along with his joke, "I thought the expression was 'a penny for your thoughts.'"  
  
"It is," the man said, "but I don't have a penny."  
  
"Oh," Harry said, drawing out the word.  
  
"Let's just do this," Ginny said, "so I can go back to sleep."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ron suddenly woke from a dream he was having, "Bloody Hell," was all he could manage to say to the time that his watch shown. 4:37 A.M. "What could ever possibly make me wake this early when I wasn't on fire is beyond me." He looked around the room everyone else was happily snoring while dreaming, most likely about girls. 'Hermione was right,' Ron thought to himself, 'we only think about girls and sports, even in our sleep.' He laid back down, and closed his eyes, noticing the noises his stomach mad, he made on last remark. 'But food. Food should definately be on that list, too.'  
  
Unfortuately, Ron didn't get to sleep for another hour and a half like he had been hoping. Before he could even clear his last thoughts he heard it. The door creaked open, then creaked shut again and clicked shut. Ron just sat up in his bed, knowing exactly what he would see next. 'First, he's gonna goto the bathroom and "de-cloak," then he'll fold up his robe and place it back in his trunk,' he thought, using his watch as a timer before he saw his best friend. 'Finally, he'll try to silently close the lid of his trunk and climb into bed, hoping that no one noticed him gone. THREE-TWO-ONE.' Just as Ron counted one, there was Harry, walking out of the bathroom, making for his trunk.   
  
Ron waited for the perfect moment to speak. "So, where have you been?" The lid to Harry's trunk drop shut, waking everyone in the room. Realizing the time they all turned over and went back to sleep, but Ron was no where near finished with Harry.  
  
"Ummm," Harry said, wishing he could think like Ginny, "the bathroom."  
  
"Ok," Ron said, nodding, "and you needed your cloak, because?"  
  
"Ummm..."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: *** GINNY SAID: "Will you take your hand off my mouth" ***  
  
DOZEN LEMONS RECOGNITION TO: (Ginny Weasley) ~YAY~  
  
BUT! I gotta throw props out to (kneh13) & (GinnylovesHarry) for being pretty close AND to (SilentMidnight) for being VERY ORIGINAL!  
  
Thanks for playing, there's more fun to come! SNIZZLE!!! 


	15. Choking Moments

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: CHOKING MOMENTS  
  
"Let's just do this," Ginny said, "so I can go back to sleep."  
  
"I agree," Madame Pomfrey said, yawning. "Some of us need our beauty sleep."  
  
"Alright," Dumbledor said, "We'll get started then."  
  
Ginny just realized that she was going to have her memories extracted from her head and put into a bowl of silvery goo. "How exactly does this work?" she asked.  
  
"Oh," Professor Dumbledor said, removing his wand from his robes, "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing."  
  
"I suggest closing your eyes. It's not exactly the most settling scene," Harry said, remembering the last time he had watched the headmaster pull out his memories and place them in the pensieve.   
  
But, it was too late. Before Ginny had a chance to close her eyes, she saw it. A string of silver coming out from her head. It wasn't shimmering like the liquid in the bowl was. Harry was right, she shouldn't have looked, because the sight of it made her sick. Her hand quickly flew to her mouth while the other threw back the blankets on her bed. She ran for the bathroom. After five minutes of Madame Pomfrey trying to enter, she finally came out looking paler than ever.   
  
'I don't think I can do this,' she thought to herself, 'but I have to. There's no other way to know. I can do this.'   
  
"Are you okay Gin?" Harry asked her as she sat down.  
  
She was determined to see what happened to put her through this much hell. She needed to do this. "Yeah. I can do this."  
  
"Let's get started then." Dumbledor took his wand and prodded the pensieve. It started swirling again, but this time it took on a picture. "Touch it," he said.  
  
"Ewww, are you kidding me professor?" she asked, grossed out at having to touch the guck in the bowl.  
  
He chuckled slightly, "I kid you not Miss Weasley."  
  
"Ginny," Harry said, "It's nothing to worry about. Watch," he said, touching the silvery liquid.   
  
"HARRY!" Ginny screamed, as she watched him touch it. Within seconds, he was sucked into the bowl, and was now standing amongst the people in her memory.   
  
Madame Pomfrey calmed her immediately, "He's fine. Look," she said, pointing into the pensieve at Harry who was now waving at her, motioning her to join him.  
  
"Alright then, I guess should join him."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Two hours later, the four of them returned to the room that they were sitting in before they ventured into Ginny's memory. It was a terrible experience, having to watch herself being tortured, and she knew that it was the same for Harry. At least when she had her memory flashes, she couldn't see some of the faces that Harry made. She didn't have to see the looks that she made herself. There were so many times when she wanted to leave and just give up on leaving the Hospital Wing. But, Harry stopped her.   
  
Somehow, for some reason, she let him. There was something about going through this that made her feel closer to him. Like there was a bond between them just from being in the same place at the same time. Being tortured by the same people. She trusted him, and allowed him to hold her where she was. Making herself watch people torture her and him was sickening.   
  
There were times when she had to yell for them to stop. Times when she tried to free herself, but accomplishing nothing but having her hand pass through the table. "You can't change it Ginny," Harry kept telling her as she tried to make things different, "It's already happened." She had to try if only to fail. Things were just too horrible not to be able to change them. She gave up after he pulled her off into a corner. There was truely nothing she could do. No matter how badly she wanted things to not be happening, they were.   
  
Watching herself be tortured wasn't the worse thing about the whole situation, it was only the begining. Near the end of her memory, another person entered the room, fully cloaked and completely paled. He was carring a book. The title was unknown, but the feeling in the room just turned erie when he came in. "Voldermort," Harry whispered. Ginny cringed at his name. She wasn't afraid of saying his name anymore, not after fighting against his Death Eaters the year before, but it was un-nerving to think that he was there that night.  
  
As they watched, he opened the book and removed his wand from with in his cloaks. Two of the figures in the room, who could now be identified as Death Eaters, stepped forward. While they held the book, Voldermort pointed his wand at Ginny. His voice filled the air, and she wanted nothing more than to run out the door and away from what she was about to witness. She couldn't. She was frozen in her place, as was Harry. Dumbledor and Madame Pomfrey just looked on, with a look of terror at what he would do.   
  
"Formulário..." Voldermort said, moving his wand from Ginny to Harry, "Conexão!" ***  
  
The rest of the memory went as it did before. Curses and pain, with a extra helping of screaming. Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledor were whispering things to eachother, things that neither Harry nor Ginny could hear. When everyone had had enough of watching the torture, they left, finding themselves in the positions they were in before they entered.  
  
"Ginny, I'm going to need to run a few tests on you," Madame Pomfrey said, the second they were back in the Hospital Wing.  
  
"What? Why?" she asked, noticing that she was still holding Harry's hand from being in her memory.  
  
Harry felt her concern. She was gripping her hand as if she was about to fall off a cliff. "What about me, ma'am?"  
  
"Fortunately, Harry, I don't need to do anything with you, so you are free to return to your room."   
  
He looked at Ginny, then gave a quick squeeze of her hand. "If it's alright, I'd rather stay here a little longer."  
  
"Yes," Dumbledor said, coming out from a thought transe, "Perhaps it is best if you stay."  
  
"Professor," Ginny said, loosening the grip she had on Harry's hand, "What exactly happened in there? What was that spell?"  
  
He thought for a moment, and then looked to Madame Pomfrey. After recieving a nod from her he answered. "I can't be positive, but I believe that the spell that Lord Voldermort used on the two of you was an ancient type of magic. However, what it did we can not be sure of until Madame Pomfrey finishes her tests."  
  
Harry was confused. They knew the spell that was used and who used it. "But why the need for tests?" he asked.  
  
"Because," the headmaster said, sitting down, "that spell can cause many different outcomes. My guess is that the intended outcome would be for the two of you to have a connection." He paused to produce a pot of tea and three cups. "More or less a physical connection, so that what one of you feels, the other would as well."  
  
An hour past. Professor Dumbledor continued to talk about some of the effects of the spell that was used, and some of the long term risks that could be there. The more that the man talked, the more worried that the children became. Not for themselves, but for eachother. Three times Madame Pomfrey came out from her office during the hour. The first to take blood samples for potions, the second for tea while the results brewed, and the thrid to give them her verdict.  
  
She had a solem look on her face, and wouldn't speak. Harry thought that Ginny was going to break his hand, she was squeezing it so hard. Slowly, Madame Pomfrey formed words that eventually became sentances. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Before she was through, Ginny fainted. Harry and Dumbledor was ushered out of the room, being told to come back later in the day. No one could believe it.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ron waited for the perfect moment to speak. "So, where have you been?" The lid to Harry's trunk drop shut, waking everyone in the room. Realizing the time they all turned over and went back to sleep, but Ron was no where near finished with Harry.  
  
"Ummm," Harry said, wishing he could think like Ginny, "the bathroom."  
  
"Ok," Ron said, nodding, "and you needed your cloak, because?"  
  
"Ummm..."  
  
"So, how is Hagrid?"  
  
Harry stood up straight and looked at him with his head turned, "Hagrid?"  
  
"That's who you went to see, isn't it?"  
  
"Oh," he said, "No. I didn't go to see Hagrid."  
  
Scooting off the edge of his bed, Ron asked, "Well then who?"  
  
"Ginny."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
That morning, Ron could have cursed Harry then and there. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to see HIS sister? There was no reason for it, at least that's what Ron thought originally. But, Hermione talked him out of landing himself in Azkaban. It took her most of the morning to calm him down, and all of the afternoon to get him to promise not to hurt Harry.   
  
"He's your best friend, Ron," she kept telling him on the way to see Ginny. "You can't try to kill him for cheering up your sister. Besides, why haven't you attacked Colin Creevy yet?"  
  
"Because he and Ginny are just friends."  
  
"And Harry and Ginny are...." she prompted.  
  
Ron stopped to think of how many times he'd seen Ginny and Harry together, and how many times he thought there was something between them. "Ok. I get what you're saying, it's just," he said, "I don't want her to get hurt. She's my baby sister."  
  
Hermione took his hand, "And you think Harry's going to hurt her?" He thought about it, but Hermione cut off his thoughts. "Ron! Harry is your best friend, like family to you! What makes you think that he would ever try to hurt her?"  
  
"I guess you're right."  
  
"You know I'm right. Ginny is just so bored right now. She needs all the friends and cheering up that she can get. So what if it's Harry?" Hermione said, opening the door to the Hospital Wing, "It's not like he's whisked her away in the night." They entered the room, and headed straight for Ginny's bed. At least they thought it was Ginny's bed. "Or maybe he did," Hermione said, walking down the isle of empty beds, none being occupied by Ginny.  
  
"Madame Pomfrey? Ginny?" Ron called out, searching the Hospital Wing for signs of anyone.  
  
"Yes Mr. Weasley?" She said, coming out from her office.  
  
"Where is Ginny?"  
  
"Oh, yes," Madame Pomfrey said, quickly busing herself with a stack of bedding, "I thought you would have heard by now. I sent her back to Gryfendor Tower. Harry just left with her, oh I'd say twenty minutes ago."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Harry did as he was told. He left the room when asked to, but the second he was able to, he returned. 'This can't be happening. Not to her,' he thought. If it wasn't for the other boys in the room, Ron would have easily pummelled his ass. But after being woken up, twice, they threw pillows and other objects in reach at the two. Ron just went back to sleep. Harry tried to, but there was too much on his mind, so he just layed there. Thinking, until he would be able to get up and shower without having his motives questioned.   
  
He stopped by the Hospital Wing before going to breakfast, but she was sleeping, and Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let him near her. "It took me a full hour after she woke up to get the to take a sleeping potion, and I'll have you go in there trying to wake her up. Come back at dinner." So he did. Not a moment too soon, either. When he walked into the room, there she was, up and about and packing all of her school belongings into her bag.   
  
"I get to leave today!" She said, forcing a smile.  
  
He was so happy for her. It had been nearly five weeks since he had seen her even remotely happy, and that was when he asked her to go to the Christmas party with him. Harry just wished that she could truely happy again. Like before all this happened. But it wouldn't be, not for a long while. Some how, dealing with the 'after effects' of the spell, would prove to be a life long event. Were they really up for it?  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Hermione cheered up quicker than Ron, "Is she cured then?"  
  
A frown clouded the woman's face, "You can never truely be cured from your own mind child. You must learn to deal with it." She turned and started to walk back into her office. "There was just nothing else I could do for Ginny here. Her well being is her own now." She closed the door, clearly not wanting to discuss what she had just said.  
  
Hermione had just stood there, taking in everyword of what she said, trying to analyze it. Ron, however, only heard "Harry just left with her, blah blah blah blah." His mind blocked out everything after that. 'You sister in now in the company of Harry Potter,' he thought, but he didn't have a chance to think of what they were possibly doing.  
  
"Ron. RON!" Hermione said, snapping him out of his daze, "Did you hear that?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, "Ginny is with Harry."  
  
"Is that all you heard?" she asked, giving him a disappointed look.  
  
He saw it. "Yeah."  
  
"Well, I think something is still wrong with Ginny," Hermione said, making for the door. "Are you coming?"  
  
"Yeah," Ron said, catching up with her, "Why do you think something is still wrong? Madame Pomfrey would have kept her longer if something was still wrong with her."  
  
She slowed down her pace. There was no one in the halls, it being dinner time, but she still felt the need to speak quietly. "I thought about that, but there was something that she wasn't telling us. And the way she said it, 'There was just nothing else I could do for Ginny here. Her well being is her own now.'" Hermione mocked the tone that Madame Pomfrey had used, sending shivers down her spine, "It was almost morbid."  
  
"Well, there's only one way to find out what's going on."  
  
"What? How?"  
  
Ron smiled, proud that he once figured out the solution before Hermione did. "Simple," he said, taking a greater satisfaction from her confused look, "We ask."  
  
And with that he kept walking, leaving Hermione to scoff behind him. When she finally snapped out of it, she ran to catch up with Ron, but found herself running smack into someone.  
  
"Oh! I'm soooo sorry. I wasn't watchin..." She was cut off by the person she ran into kissing her. Ron. "Everyone has an off day," he said, and then led her to the portrait of the fat lady. "Lemon Snizzle," he said, giving her the password for the week.  
  
There was no one in the common room, but they could hear voices. It was Harry and Ginny's voicing coming from the stairs. Hermione was about to call out to them, but Ron put a hand over her mouth, and shook his head, smiling. He was planning on sneaking up on them, scaring them. She just nodded, and followed his lead, but when they heard crying they stopped. What they heard turned Ron's face red and his knuckles white.  
  
"Harry," Ginny said between sobs, "I don't think I can do this. I'm not ready."  
  
Harry just held her. "I know, but we'll get through this together," he said, lifting her chin, "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"You promise?" she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
Using his thumbs he dried her tears. "I promise. I will be here for you every moment."  
  
A fresh batch of tears came to her eyes, "Oh but Harry!" she sobbed, "We're too young to be parents. I'm to young to be pregnant."  
  
There wasn't anymore fun in Ron's face. He wasn't planning on playing games anymore. When he heard that word, 'pregnancy,' he flipped. There were only ten steps up to the landing, and another five after that until he reached where they were sitting. He got there in four steps, lunging at Harry over the last four steps. Before anyone could stop him, Ron had Harry by the throat, intent on killing him.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: ***CHALLENGE: What language is this spell in? Brownie points to the translation! ***  
  
I KNOW! I'm really mean for cutting you off after telling you something really BIG. It's GIGANTIC, really. But, you should be happy that I didn't cut the chapter in half after the memory scene. I figured since I've been cutting them kinda short lately, that'd I double the length. Until tomorrow, SNIZZLE!  
  
~Oh, what'd ya think of the password? Huh, I'm I cool, or what? (Don't answer that.)~ 


	16. My Baby Sister

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: MY BABY SISTER  
  
There was no one in the common room, but they could hear voices. It was Harry and Ginny's voicing coming from the stairs. Hermione was about to call out to them, but Ron put a hand over her mouth, and shook his head, smiling. He was planning on sneaking up on them, scaring them. She just nodded, and followed his lead, but when they heard crying they stopped. What they heard turned Ron's face red and his knuckles white.  
  
"Harry," Ginny said between sobs, "I don't think I can do this. I'm not ready."  
  
Harry just held her. "I know, but we'll get through this together," he said, lifting her chin, "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"You promise?" she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
Using his thumbs he dried her tears. "I promise. I will be here for you every moment."  
  
A fresh batch of tears came to her eyes, "Oh but Harry!" she sobbed, "We're too young to be parents. I'm to young to be pregnant."  
  
There wasn't anymore fun in Ron's face. He wasn't planning on playing games anymore. When he heard that word, 'pregnant,' he flipped. There were only ten steps up to the landing, and another five after that until he reached where they were sitting. He got there in four steps, lunging at Harry over the last four steps. Before anyone could stop him, Ron had Harry by the throat, intent on killing him.  
  
"RON! LET HIM GO!" Ginny screamed, trying to pull him off from behind. Her attemps went unnoticed by Ron, who ended up pushing him away.  
  
Soon after Hermione came running up the steps, just in time to save Harry. He was blue in the face, wearing a scarf. It took her a few moments to realized that it was Ron wrapped around her friend's neck. Not a piece of fabric. As her sense came back to her, so did her inteligence. Her hand flew inside her robes to her wand, quickly using it against her boyfriend. "Impedimenta!" she said, trying not to hit Harry who was now trying to kick Ron off.  
  
Ginny, who was already in tears, was still sobbing. After tumbling aside she couldn't do anything to help Harry. But, the second Hermione had stuned Ron, she flew to Harry's side. She gingerly helped him stand up and made sure he was alright before leaving his side to goto Ron's.   
  
"Ron?" she said, crouching down next to him on the landing, "Are you alright?"  
  
He looked at her, realizing what he did to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. What about - Ow! Bloody hell Ginny! " he said, putting a hand to his cheek.  
  
Ginny had a smug look on her face. Slapping him made her feel better about the situation. "Oh, did that hurt Ron?" she asked, standing. "Well good. I wouldn't want you to think you just got away with something." Looking down at him, she climbed the stairs to where Harry was standing.  
  
"And what about you Ginny?" Ron said while letting Hermione help him to his feet. "What are you getting away with?" his words didn't phase her. She continued to climb until she reached Harry. "Pretending to get amnesia? Faking being attacked?"  
  
Hermione didn't like the turn Ron's was taking. "Ron, that's enough," she said.  
  
"No, Hermione," he said climbing the stairs until he was even eyed with her. "I want to know," he looked to Harry. "What really happened out in the Forest?  
  
Both Ginny and Harry cringed. Not only were Ron's perceptions of the situtation horribly off, just the thought of what happened in the Forest crept back into their minds. After seeing their nightmares first hand, they now knew the answer to that question. But could he be trusted? Ginny loved her brother and she knew that Harry was like a brother to him. Seeing him like this, so full of rage, broke her heart. She was the closest to him, them being only a year a part.  
  
"You," she said, "you wouldn't be able to handle what happened in the Forest."  
  
"I just hope it was fun, Gin," he said looking down at her. "Getting yourself knocked up an' all."  
  
Harry couldn't take it any longer. He knew Ron just needed to blow off some steam. So, he sat there and listened to his remarks, knowing that interrupting would only piss him off further. But he couldn't take it any longer. There was Ginny, completely innocent to everything her brother was saying, being so strong. 'If she can face him, why can't I?' he thought. "Ron, that's it!" he said stepping down between him and Ginny. "You don't have any clue what you're talking about. Do you? This is your own sister," he said, reaching behind his back to take her hand.   
  
"Don't touch her Potter!" Ron shouted, unaware that people were starting to come into the common room. "That's MY baby sister you've got your hand on, and I won't let you -"  
  
"SILENCIO!" Hermione, still standing on the landing, was the only one to notice that people were coming into the room. She quickly jump up the steps to where Ron, Harry and Ginny were standing, now voiceless and glaring directly at her. She just glared back. "I don't know what happened out in the Forest, but perhaps we should all contine this conversation else where before someone else over hears what you are bickering about. Maybe the room of requirement?" Everyone nodded in agreement as Hermione stared down each of them.   
  
She turned and started to walk down the stairs, when Ron grabbed her shoulder and turned her. He was still under the silencing charm and could only flap his arms and point to make her understand what he wanted her to do. "Oh," she said catching on, "You want me to remove the charm?" she asked, pulling her wand back out from her robes. "I don't think so," she said, placing it back in her pocket, "at least not until we get to the seventh floor."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
They had no choice but to follow Hermione. If they asked anyone else to remove the charm, then they would be force into an explaination of why they were put under it. So, running down the steps to catch up with her, they breezed past the people sitting in front of the fire and out the portrait hole. The got looks from students all over the school as they made their way to the room of requirement, but the one look they were searching for was Hermione.  
  
'She couldn't have gotten too far ahead of us,' Ron wanted to say.  
  
When they finally came to the location, the door wasn't there. 'We need some where we can talk,' Harry said, as he did the year before. Aswering his thoughts, a door appeared in the wall, and making sure no one was watching, they entered it. There, they found Hermione, tapping her foot with her wand at hand. With a flick of her wrist, she released them from their silence.  
  
"How'd you get here so fast 'Mione?" Ron asked, dumb founded as to how she was able to keep such a lead.  
  
"Oh," she said, "I have my ways."   
  
Ron just gave her a look, but she gave him the same one back. "Well," he said, "what did we have to come here for? What is the big secret?"  
  
"We already know what the secret is, Ron," Hermione said still clutching her wand, "What we want to know is how it happened, or more like when it happened."  
  
"You make it sound as if this is our fault," Harry said.  
  
"Well, duh," Ron said, but realizing that all of their fighting was getting nowhere, he sighed. "Look, we all know how the birds and the bees work, but when did you two become..." he paused. Something about putting Harry and his sister together with the word 'sex' just was impossible to do.   
  
"Lovers? Hot 'n Heavy?" Ginny finished for him, closing in on her brother with every phrase. "Sexually Active? Take your pick Ron." If the situtation wasn't so serious, Harry would be laughing at Ginny's abilities to stretch things. She definately was related to Fred and George. "Cause they all apply. Yeah," she said, dramatically swinging her arms, "it happened while we were being TORTURED BY DEATH EATERS AND CHARMED BY VOLDERMORT." There was no more playing games. If they wanted to know the truth, they were gonna see it for themselves. 'I need them to see what happened,' Ginny thought.   
  
Without anyone else having a clue, the room changed to Ginny's will. They were now standing in a dark room, surrounded by Death Eaters, all shouting curses at two people tied to tables.   
  
"Where are we?" Hermione asked, unable to put down her wand at the images.  
  
Harry just took it all in again. "Ginny's memories," he said.  
  
"But how?" Ron said, waving his hand infront of a Death Eater's face, "How did we get here?"  
  
"I told the room to bring us here," Ginny said snaking around the tables. "This is the only way I can make you believe me. Us." Slowly she walked around the room, "Me and Harry were tied here for what is believed to be an hour. We were tortured by all of them," she said, pointing to the cloaked figures, "usually at the same time."  
  
Harry continued, "But, the answers to your question won't happen until Volder- Oh Grow Up Ron!" Harry said, noticing Ron's terrified face at the name. "Won't happen until Voldermort gets here." Harry closed his eyes and made a request to the room, 'Show us," he thought. The room shimmered, but when it stopped it looked just as it did before.   
  
"When is this?"  
  
Ginny, knowing exactly what was coming next turned away from the door. Harry came up to her and held her, needed her comforting as much as she needed his. Ron saw them holding eachother, "I thought I said 'not' to do that Potter."  
  
Harry looked at him and said, "Just watch," pointing towards the door.  
  
Ron, who had never seen the face of Lord Voldermort became very frightened when the door entered and the skinny-pale shadow of a man entered the room carrying a book. Hermione just watched in horror as the scene played out in front of her. She gasped when she saw him point his wand at Ginny. All Ron could muster was a whisper before Voldermort's voice filled the room as it had done many times before in Ginny's memory.   
  
"Formulário Conexão!"   
  
As he spoke, the room began to shimmer again, and now they found themselves surrounded by the traditional look of the Room of Requirements. "Is - was that 'real'?" Ron asked, still shaking from what he just witnessed.  
  
"Every detail."  
  
"And," Hermione said, "he actually 'cursed' you?"  
  
"Technically," Harry said, pulling back from Ginny a smidgen, "it was a charm. Professor Dumbledor told us last night, well this morning, that it was a Connection Charm."  
  
"It does what exactly?"  
  
Ginny regained her composure, "It forms a physical bond between the two people it's cast upon."  
  
"So that is why you're pregnant?" Ron said, suddenly realizing how much of an oaf he was being, "Because of this charm?"  
  
"Yeah," Ginny said, "it's the only reason that any of us can come up with."   
  
"But why?" Hermione asked, "What does Voldermort - Ron you really do need to stop that, -why does he want you two to have a child?"  
  
"Well," Harry said, taking Ginnys hand, "we don't think that's what the spell was meant to do. It's supposed to form a connection, that's all we know. All I can remember, now that I've seen it all, is that afterwards the pain from the curses doubled."  
  
"As if I was feeling Harry's pain, as well as my own."  
  
"Dumbledor thinks that this might be Voldermort's new weapon," Harry said remembering the conversation they had early that morning.  
  
"But how would he be able to use this charm against people?" Hermione asked.  
  
"By capturing two people, placing them under it, and releasing only one of them," Ginny said. "This way, he has a pawn, to use. My being," she paused, "pregnant, is some weird side effect."  
  
"That's why you can't tell anyone. If Voldermort discovers what this charm does, or even more so what it Has done, Ginny could be in terrible danger. Not to mention 'our' child."  
  
"Harry?" Hermione said, "If this is just a side effect of the charm, how do you know the baby Ginny's carrying is yours? It could be the result of a third person being connected. There were a lot of people in that room."  
  
"We've already thought about that Hermione," Ginny said, now taking her friends hand, "and Madame Pomfrey has already done all the tests to prove that Harry is the father."  
  
"How can you say that so calmly, Gin?" Ron asked her, moving next to her. "You're going to have a child. This isn't going to be able to hide."  
  
"Trust me, this is the first time I have be this calm when saying it. When I first found out, I fainted. But I have realized that what's done is done," Ginny said, promptly being hugged by her brother. "This isn't going to be easy, but it'll be easier with Harry with me." Ginny pulled away from Ron and looked up at him, "And he has to be alive for that to happen. So can you keep from killing him?"  
  
"For now."  
  
"That's fine with me," Harry said, holding out his hand.  
  
Ron shook it, but remembered that Ginny didn't answer all of his concerns. "Gin," he said, "how are you going to hide the fact that you're pregnant?"  
  
"Well, that's where Professor Snape comes into the picture," Ginny cringed at having to actually work with the man. "I'm going to be on a daily regiment of potions and elixirs to keep me looking and feeling normal until school ends."  
  
"Wait, I've just been thinking," Hermione said.  
  
"So what's new about that 'Mione?"  
  
"Shut it. But seriously, why didn't Voldermort let you two go after charming you? Why didn't he try to kill you like before?"  
  
"My guess is as good as yours," Harry said, unable to be sure about anything going through Voldermort's mind at the moment, "but I'm going with the fact that we are the test subjects for his new spell."  
  
"I've got an even more dangerous question," Ron said, turning to Ginny, "What are you going to tell mum?"  
  
"I haven't thought about that yet. What can I tell her?"  
  
"I don't know," Ron said, putting an arm around her shoulders, "but you better think of something good."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Recognition to [Potteranne], [Shante] and [DumbledorTheWise] for knowing that the spell I created was in Portuguese. BUT the BROWNIES goto [SilentMidnight] for getting the translation too. Formulário Conexão = FORM CONNECTION (roughly translated) THANKS FOR PLAYING!   
  
SNIZZLE! 


	17. What Were You Thinking?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?  
  
WARNING: ABORTION IS MENTIONED.  
  
For the next few days, Ginny was a wreck. She owled all of her family members that were outside of Hogwarts, telling them to come that weekend. The plan was, to tell them all at once that she was pregnant. She wasn't going to immediately say who the father was, not until she was sure that they all wouldn't storm out of the room and try to kill Harry. Somehow, they just had to understand. 'Maybe it would be easier to explain if Professor Dumbledor is there,' she thought to herself while eating breakfast.  
  
"Ginny!" She was into another one of her transes, staring off into space. "Ginny? What is wrong with you these days?" She snapped back into reality, finally hearing her mother's voice.  
  
"What?" she asked, "Oh, hi mum."  
  
"Where were you just now? You looked a million miles away."  
  
"Oh, no. I was right here," she said, sighing to herself. "Just - thinking, I guess."  
  
"Well," Mrs. Weasley said, "You wanted to tell me something, right?"   
  
'What!' Ginny thought, 'Does she know? How could she? RON! I'm gonna kill...'   
  
Molly cut off Ginny's thoughts, "You said you had something to me. What is it?"   
  
"Oh, that!" Ginny said, suddenly feeling guilty for doubting her brother. "I just wanted to tell you that Dad and the boys are coming to Hogwarts for the weekend. They should be her before night-fall."  
  
There was a glowing smile on her face and she pulled Ginny into a hug. "Realy! That's wonderful!" But it slowly faded as a thought came across her mind, "Ginny, dear? How did you know this before me?"  
  
"I planned it," she said matter-o-factly.  
  
"But why?" Molly's motherly instincts took over her joy, "Is something wrong with you? What aren't you telling me?"  
  
'That I'm pregnant,' Ginny thought, but only said, "Nothing is wrong, exactly, I just have some news that I want to tell the whole family as one."  
  
"Alright dear," Molly said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you later tonight then."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Molly!" Madame Pomfrey called, chasing the counselor down the halls, "MOLLY!" Mrs. Weasley heard her name being called and stopped. "Oh, thank goodness I've caught up with you!"  
  
"What is it Poppy?" Molly said, "I've just gotten some wonderful news, and I'm off to go and prepare for the arrival."  
  
The medi-witch gave a confused look, 'But I thought that Ginny was going to tell them all tonight?' she thought. 'She must have changed her mind.' Putting on a smile, she said, "Well then, I'm glad that she decided to tell you. It's better this way, you know," she said, walking along with Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"I'm just glad she gave me this much notice," Molly replied, opening the door to her office. "Now I have pleny of time to gear up."  
  
"Well, before you start," Poppy said, declining the offer to sit, "I need to get your permission to start brewing Ginny's prenatal potions. She'll need to be on them right away. We shouldn't waste anymore time," she said, laughing happily, "especially since she's already six weeks in."  
  
Molly's face would have been pure anger if she wasn't in so much shock. In fact, it was the shock that kept her from changing her expression.   
  
"So, do you agree?" Madame Pomfrey said, "Should I have Severus begin brewing them immediately?"  
  
"What?" Molly said, realizing that the woman was talking again, "Oh, yes. Do what ever is necessary."  
  
"Alright," she said, "I'll see you all later tonight then."  
  
"Oh Ginny," Molly said once she was alone, "What have you done?" There were tears in her eyes. 'You think that I would hear from my daughter that she was pregnant. Not the school nurse. This is insane. She's still too young, to be pregnant,' she thought. 'Well, if that's the way she wants to play it, that's fine. I'm not going to ruin you little game Virgina,' a small smirk came to her face, 'I'm just going to bend a few of the rules.'  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Ginny began pacing the length of the Hospital Wing. She figured that this would be the safest place to tell her family. Knowing her mother, if she didn't become giddy (which was unlikely because of her age) she'd most likely end up fainting. "At least there isn't anything hard in here, in case they want to pummel me."  
  
"Oh, there hasn't been anything hard kept on the tables," Ron said, "not since you threw your little fit after we told you that you had amnesia."  
  
"Ha ha ha. Very funny."  
  
"I thought you might like that one," Ron said, grabbing his sister by the arms so she couldn't move. "Stop pacing, you're making me dizzy," he pulled her in for a hug, "Don't worry, it'll be okay."  
  
Ginny sighed, "Easy for you to say, your not in any danger."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want Harry here?" he asked, sitting on one of the beds. "It might be easier."  
  
"Ron, do you remember what you did to Harry when you found out?" Ron paused to think about when he almost strangled Harry on the steps after he overheard them talking. "Now," Ginny said, "multiply that by about six more Weasley men. All of them adults."  
  
"They wouldn't do anything like I did."  
  
"I know they won't," she said, sitting next to him, "because he won't be here."  
  
"Alright, have it your way," Ron said, throwing his hands up in defeat.  
  
"I always do."  
  
"But you still should have told Harry that you were going to tell everyone tonight," Ron said, "He would want to be here."  
  
"That's why he can't," she said. But she started thinking, 'Because I can't let him get hurt.'  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: CHERRY'S TO [Ginny Weasley] FOR BEING THE 100TH SNIZZLER AND CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES TO [Cilo] FOR BRINGING IT TO MY ATTENTION. (If you haven't noticed it, I LOVE FOOD!) OK...Now back to the the actual Author Notes.  
  
Sorry again for not posting last night, but with a seven a.m. departure, I couldn't stay up and write. But, to answer some Snizzles I've been getting, my Beta-Reader is currently working on the chapters that I've posted, but since I post my chapters as soon as I'm done writing them, they don't get proofed before hand. (Hopefully this isn't ruffling too many feathers.) Don't forget to Snizzle, and tell me what you're thinking about things. NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY, I WANT TO HEAR THEMSNIZLLE! 


	18. The Meaning of Family

A/N: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN....YOU REALLY NEED TO. I REPLACED MY AUTHOR'S NOTE WITH THE ACTUAL CHAPTER.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE MEANING OF FAMILY  
  
There wasn't much more of a wait. Within the hour all of the Weasley's were in the castle, being greeted by Molly.  
  
"Hello everyone!" she said, exchanging hugs and kisses, "It's so great to see all of you! Why don't we head to my office have a cup of tea."  
  
"You know we would love to sit down and have some tea, mum. Especially after the trip!" Bill said, removing his cloak.  
  
"But," Percy said removing a piece of paper from his pocket, "it says here that we're supposed to head straight to the Hospital Wing upon arrival."  
  
"What's this meeting all about, Molly?" Arthur asked.  
  
"I'm not sure," Molly said. "I was only told you were coming this morning."  
  
"Has something happened to Ginny?" George said, magically getting rid of all of the cloaks and baggage.  
  
Fred, who started leading the way, spoke next, "Has she been re-hospitalized?"  
  
"No, not that I know of," Molly said, trying to keep them in the dark.  
  
"Well who does know?" Charlie asked as they approached the doors to the infirmary.  
  
Molly thought for a moment, "I have a feeling that Ron knows what's going on, but I haven't been able to get any thing out of him. All he keeps telling me is that I'll find out when everyone else does." Molly let out a large sigh, "What could be so big that she feels that she can't tell me? I'm her mother!"  
  
"If it make you feel any better, mum," Bill said, opening the doors, "she didn't tell any of us either."  
  
"Well, let's go find out."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
The door quietly opened while Ron was trying to keep Ginny calm. But, being edgy, she noticed the door knob turning. Jumping to her feet, while Ron stayed seated, Ginny went to greet the rest of her family.  
  
"Ginny!" the boys yelled, enveloping her in a giant bear hug.  
  
"Hi!" she squeaked from inside the circle, "Could you all let me go now?"  
  
"What's the news that couldn't be sent by owl?" her father asked, giving her a light kiss on the head.  
  
"Well, I'll tell you once everyone has arrived," she said, walking back over to Ron.  
  
This was the first time that any of them had noticed him sitting there. "Hey Ron!" they said, "How's Hermione?" There wasn't anyone asking how he was. No, it was immediately, "How's your girlfriend?"   
  
"She's good," he said as they sat down around them, "and so am I."  
  
"Oh, well," Arthur said, "that's good to know."  
  
"Ginny?" Bill asked, "who else are we waiting for?"  
  
"Yeah, Gin," Percy said, counting heads, "the gang's all here!"  
  
"Well, I don't want to start until Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey arrive," Ginny said, leaning against the bed across from everyone. "They can explain things that I can't."  
  
"We are here now Miss Weasley," said a voice from the door way, "So you may begin."  
  
"Professor Dumbledor, Madame Pomfrey," Arthur said as they approached the group. "It's good to see you again." They nodded in response.   
  
All eyes were on her now, but what could she say? 'Hey everyone, I'm pregnant with Harry's child!' Yeah, like that would go over well. Almost as good as waving a red flag in front of a bull. "Umm..." was all she could manage to get out. 'You've been rehersing this all day!' she thought to herself, 'You can do this.'  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
"Yeah, well." It started out well. She was able to get through two words before she completely lost it. Ginny wasn't even able to keep her story straight. She kept bouncing between when she first lost her memory, when she was in the woods, the pensieve, and all of the other things that happened between then and now. "You know how it started when I left the Christmas party and got attacked in the woods by a bunch of people who turned out to be death eaters and then I got charmed by the Dark Lord and then I was stuck here for the longest time with my visiting hours being only like two a day which really sucked but then I got released because Harry who has nothing to do with what going on with me suggested that I use Professor Dumbledore's pensieve and then we saw the whole thing happen and when we came back Madame Pomfrey ran some tests on me and then-"  
  
"GINNY!"   
  
She stopped. Looking around, everyone was staring at her, not really listening to what she was saying, but watching her pace. 'I can't do this,' she thought, sending a pleading look to Ron, who just sat there shaking his head.  
  
'And she spent the whole day rehersing,' he thought.  
  
"Ginny," Arthur said, "please just give us the short and to the point version, before we all die from anticipation."  
  
"Well," she said turning away from them.  
  
"Ginny," Ron said, "just tell them."  
  
"So you do know?" Molly asked.  
  
"KNOW WHAT?" Everyone was growing pretty impatient with this whole thing.  
  
Ginny could only whisper it. "i'm pregnant."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I'M PREGNANT." There was no missunderstanding in what she said this time. Everyone heard exactly what she said. They only ones in the room that were not surprised, were Ron, Madame Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledore and Molly.  
  
Molly just stood up. "How could you not tell me?"  
  
Ginny spun around, "W-what do you mean?" she asked, "I just did!"  
  
"No, this is the second time I've heard."  
  
"RON! You didn't!" she said, looking to her brother.  
  
He put his hands in the air, "I didn't say a thing."  
  
"No, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, "Madame Pomfrey accidently let it slip when she asked me for permission for your 'prenatal' potions."  
  
Ginny was shocked. "Why didn't you tell me that you knew?" She got the cold shoulder.  
  
"How did this happen?" Arthur asked, now standing beside his wife.  
  
"Well, dad," George said, "You know the story of the birds and the bees."  
  
"When a girl and a boy meet, and they really like eachother..." Fred said.  
  
"THIS IS NOT FUNNY YOU TWO."  
  
"Mum, what do you want me to say?" Ginny asked, trying to understand why her mother wouldn't tell her that she knew the entire time.  
  
Mrs. Weasley wouldn't turn around. She just stood there, arms cross with her back to her daughter. "Who's the father?"  
  
"It's not what you think."  
  
"Ginny. Who. Is. The. Father.?"  
  
Ron was right. So far, it didn't look like his it would be his brothers that were going to kill Harry. It was going to be his mum. "Mum, just let her explain."  
  
"What story did she tell you, Ron? That she 'loves' this boy? That it was an accident?"  
  
"Molly," Dumbledore approached the wreck of a woman, "You should let her explain what really happened..."  
  
"Albus! You knew too?" Mrs. Weasley was completely hysterical. "How did you know before I did? I'm her mother!"  
  
"Because this is exactly how she thought you would act," Ron said standing up, "Isn't this hard enought for her, but now to have you just jumping to conclusions, and not giving her a fair chance.."  
  
"Ronald Weasley!" Mr. Weasley said, "Don't talk to your mother like that."  
  
"You know, I thought my reaction was bad. I just tried to strangle 'him', but you mum? I thought the Fred and George would be less civilized than you, but all of them are obviously taking this better than you." Ron had never talked back to his parents, especially not his mother. It just shouldn't be done. But, he couldn't help it. "None of this was Ginny's fault."  
  
"How is it not her fault Ronald?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "It takes 'two' people to create a baby."  
  
"Or in Ginny's case a really evil wizard by the name of Voldermort," Ron said, not even flinching when he spoke the Dark Lord's name. He just walked over to his sister, put an arm around her and started leading her to the door. "Come on Ginny, let's get you back to the common room. You've had enough of this." Before completely leaving the room, Ron turn around and spoke to his family. "You all should be ashamed. She's family, and you didn't even give her a chance. And I thought that you all would be understanding."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Nothing much to say. SNIZZLE! 


	19. Eat Me

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER NINETEEN: EAT ME  
  
WARNING: ABORTION IS MENTIONED.  
  
Ginny cried the entire way back to the common room. Luckily, there was no one wandering around the halls on the way back. He couldn't see Ginny go through any more pain or humiliation that night. No one should ever be treated that way. Ever. 'Especially not by their mother's,' Ron thought.  
  
When they finally reached the common room, he realized just how late it was. There was no one there. Well, almost no one. The second that they entered the room Harry came running over.  
  
"Ginny!" he said, not noticing that she had been crying, "Why didn't you tell me you were meeting with you family?"  
  
"H-how did you f-find o-out?" she asked, trying to hold back her sobs.  
  
"Hermione told me. I just wish she would have let me out of the common room," he said, "she kept charming me so I couldn't leave."  
  
"That's right," Hermione said, walking down the stairs, "It would have been horrible for you to have barged in there. Oh my goodness, Ginny! What happened?"  
  
"'Mione, it was horrible," Ron said.  
  
"What did they say?" Harry asked, trying to get Ginny to look at him.   
  
She couldn't do it. Ginny just turned back into Ron, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and soaking his shirt. "They really didn't say anything. It was mum."  
  
"Oh, well that couldn't have been too bad," Hermione said, remembering her summer trips to the burrow.  
  
"If her refering to Ginny as some sort of tramp isn't bad, then no. My mother was a perfect lady."  
  
"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, "She must have taken it back when Ginny explained everything."  
  
Ron had the same look on his face that he did while he was back in the infirmary. "She wouldn't let Ginny explain. Just kept saying how this was all her fault."  
  
"But it isn't!" Harry yelled.  
  
"We know that, but they don't."  
  
Hermione slowly let the facts sink in. "How did she get out of there?"   
  
"I brought her back," he said. "I couldn't take it. But, boy! Am I gonna get an earful from my dad. The things I said." Ron was just about to recap the things that he had done, but suddenly Ginny felt much heavier. She had fallen asleep. "Hermione?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Could you do me a favor and help me get Ginny to bed?" He asked, "I can only go so far before I'm not allowed."  
  
"Sure," she said, pulling out her wand. "Hey, where'd Harry go?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Surely Poppy," Mrs. Weasley said, "You must be able to do something?"  
  
The woman became confused. "Like what? Turn her into a toad for seven months? Sorry, but that's Minerva's area of expertise, not mine."  
  
The entire Weasley family, minus Ginny and Ron, was still gathered in the Hospital Wing. All of them still surprised by Ginny's news, but even more shocked by Ron's behavior.   
  
"Can't you just get rid of the thing?" Molly asked.  
  
"We don't know what effect that an abortion would have on Ginny..." she started.  
  
"But, even so, that's not your decision, is it Mrs. Weasley?"   
  
"What?" Everyone turned around. There, standing near the entrance, was none other than Harry Potter. Cheeks red and invisibility cloak at hand.   
  
"I said that 'getting rid of it' as you put it, is not your decision," Harry was making a very bold move. His neck still hurt from having one Weasley attached to it, but after a showdown with seven more? "It's Ginny's," Could he do it? "And mine."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ron and Hermione quickly took Ginny upstairs to her dorm. They had to find Harry. "How long was he missing from the conversation?" Hermione asked while running up the stairs to the sixth years' boys dorm."  
  
"I don't know, but you probably should have left him under a charm until my family left," Ron only had to look one place before he would know exactly where Harry went to. "Bloody hell. He's going to get himself killed."  
  
Hermione gave him a confused look, "What?" she asked.  
  
Ron threw the rest of the contents of the trunk onto the floor. "The cloak is gone."  
  
"Oh no."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
If you ever want to know what being looked at by a pack of wolves is like, tell someone's family that you are the father of their only daughter/sister's unborn baby. You'll get the same effect as if you had a giant sign that said 'EAT ME' over you. It's not a good thing. But, Harry did draw some attention. Everyone in the room who was sitting was now standing, and everyone who was standing (Molly Weasley) had just sit down.  
  
It's not like Harry wasn't scared. Oh, no. He was terrified, but if they weren't going to listen to Ginny, there were going to listen to him. "I am the father of Ginny's baby."  
  
"When," Molly started, completely unexpecting his statement, "when did this happen? Last I knew of she had a crush on you. But, she got over that a few summers ago. When did you two start liking eachother, let alone dating?"  
  
"Or having sex," George added.  
  
"You really should have let Ginny explain things." There was a new voice in the room. "It would have cleared up everything."  
  
"Hermione?" Harry asked, completely confused at why she was there.  
  
"We noticed that you were missing," Ron said, "and then we found your cloak missing as well."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Why does it matter weither or not Ginny explained things?" Mr. Weasley said, "She's pregnant, and there is only one way to do that."  
  
"You weren't listening to me either," Ron said, "were you?"  
  
"When you were yelling at mum?" Percy asked.  
  
"Yeah," he said, "If you were paying attention to anything that was being said you would know exactly what was going on. Here, let me give you some hints: Death Eaters, Harry and Ginny being attacked, Connection Charm, Lord Voldermort."  
  
"None of that makes sence," Molly said.  
  
"Oh," Dumbledore said, "it makes perfect sence if you see what happened in Ginny's memory."  
  
"But how is that possible?" Arthur asked.  
  
"With a pensieve," Harry said.  
  
But Hermione finished, "Or a Room of Requirement."  
  
"You mean," Bill said, "that everything that needs to be explained, would be if we 'saw' Ginny's memory?"  
  
Ron said, "That's what made me stop choking Harry."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: I'm not really much for words lately...not sure why, but either way. Thanks for the SNIZZLES!!! Keep it up, it really makes my day. 


	20. Harry's fault

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY: HARRY'S FAULT  
  
Harry led them all to the Room of Requirement, but he couldn't stand seeing the images again. So, when he activated the memory, he left. Ron and Hermione followed him out. "I don't think I can see that again," Harry muttered once in the silence of the hall. "Once was fine, twice was un-nerving. But three times? I just can-" he stopped when he heard the gasps coming from inside the room.  
  
"Don't worry Harry," Hermione comforted, "no one blames you. I'm surprised that Madame Pomfrey can stand to be in there again."  
  
"I can't," Madame Pomfrey stated walking through the door, "the sight of those Death Eaters just makes me sick. To think that they can torture poor young children." She sighed, giving Harry a look of pity, "Why don't we return to the Hospital Wing? Everyone is going to meet us there when they have seen enough."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
To Harry, the wait seemed to last forever. If the Weasley's didn't agree with Harry and Ginny's side of the story, then he was sure to be as good as dead by morning. 'On the other hand,' Harry thought, 'if they believe us,' he paused, 'they'll still kill me. But on the other hand,' he stopped this thought. 'Too many hands,' he thought, letting a moan out and saying, "Either way, I'm dead."  
  
"What do you mean Harry?" Hermione asked, puzzled at his sudden comment.  
  
"He means that my fokes are gonna slaughter him," Ron answered, "no matter what they see."  
  
Hermione was shocked, but even more so when she looked to Harry, "Harry? You can't possibly think that?"   
  
He nodded, "But I do Hermione. Some how, I just feel like all of this is-" Harry let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"Your fault?" Ron prodded.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, retreating to sit on the nearest bed.  
  
Ron's face took on a heavy tone as he turned to face his best friend. "I wish," he started, "I just wish, that for one year we could go without something being 'your' fault."  
  
Hermione gave Ron a puzzled look as she looked between the two boys, "What do you mean?" she asked.  
  
"Every year," Ron spat, getting closer to Harry, "something happens, and every year, it is always 'your' fault."  
  
Harry was shocked. "What?"  
  
Ron walked back to the center of the room and spun back around at Harry. "Well," he said, "let's start from the begining. I've got whole a list of them. First year, you caused us to all get detentions, me to almost die, and our house to almost loose the cup for the year."  
  
"But Ron, none of that was-"  
  
"Hermione!" Ron shouted, "I've been waiting to get this all out, and I'm not stopping 'til I'm finished. Second year, you caused a giant snake to roam the school, Hermione to be petrified, and my sister to almost die." There wasn't a single reaction in Harry's posistion to what Ron was saying, so he continued down his list, "Third year you caused us to split up and for that 'rat' Peter to continue living, which allowed Voldermort to come back fourth year. Cedric's death is your fault." Ron started pacing, back and forth, in front of Harry, counting his faults on his hands. "All of the things to happen to us in the Fifth year and the death of-"  
  
Harry jumped to his feet before Ron could finish his sentance. "NONE OF THAT WAS MY FAULT!" he screamed, throwing himself in the direction of Ron. "NONE OF IT!" He pushed Ron backwards, "Sure, I was involved, but it wasn't my fault! If it's anyone's fault, it Volder-" Harry stopped. At the mention of Voldermort, Ron took a strange face. Not his usual twitch, but a smile.   
  
Ron spoke slowly, "I know that," putting his hands on Harry's shoulders, "and I'm glad that you finally know that, too. This whole thing with you and Ginny, that isn't your fault either. You know, you don't always have to carry the world on your shoulders. That's why you have friends."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Hermione was in shock. There was her boyfriend, one of her best friends, blaming every incident on her other best friend. He just took it. It was all bull shit and Harry just sat there and took it all. She tried to stop it, but Ron wouldn't let her. There was something about the whole thing that made it seem funny to her. Ron had never once mentioned this to her. He had even comforted her when she tried to blame Harry and Ginny's attack on herself. Suddenly it hit her.   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Ron! You greasy git!" Hermione yelled at him, "When did you learn reverse psychology?"  
  
Ron just grinned, took his hands off Harry, and moved towards her, "I have five older brothers and a younger sister, 'Mione," he said, "I've known reverse psychology since I was old enough to talk." Harry and Hermione started laughing at him. "Hey!" he grinned, "You can call it what you want, but I call it getting what your siblings have!"  
  
"You know Ron," Hermione gasped between fits of giggles, "You should really consider becoming a counselor."  
  
"What?" he asked, sobering up.  
  
"You'd be really good at it. Just look at your actions over the past few weeks," Hermione explained, "helping out Ginny with everything that she's been going through, talking Harry out of his deleria," she urged. "You even helped me when no one else was getting through. Your mother couldn't even get to me."  
  
"Well," Ron shrugged, "I guess it has a possibility. I'll have to think about it."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ron wasn't allowed to think about it for very much longer that night. Before anyone could put another word in about his future carreer, the rest of the Weasley's came sauntering into the room. "Looks like judgement day has finally come, Harry," Ron whispered.  
  
They filed into the room, one after another, until they were all standing in the entrance of the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore came in and closed the door. Hermione and Ron moved infront of Harry, completely shadowing him, but there wasn't any direct eye contact between Ron and his family. Some looked at their feet, a few found intrest in the ceiling, but Mrs. Weasley had intrest in only one thing.   
  
"Where is he?" Mrs. Weasley demanded moving through the rest of the crowd.   
  
"Molly," Madame Pomfrey soothed as she came out from her office, "why don't we all-"  
  
"No," she spat, "Where. Is. Harry?"  
  
"I'm right here, Mrs. Weasley" Harry said, stepping around his friends. He was looking at the floor. The tone in her voice was not a good one, and he didn't want to see the look that she was giving him. He couldn't bare to have the only woman he had ever seen as a motherly figure disappointed in him.   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: You guys are the best Snizzlers that anyone could ever hope for. Really, you are! But, no matter what you may say, my work is nothing compared to some of the HP FanFics that are out there. Recently (as in yesterday) I read a Harry/Ginny story by [The White Lily]. If any of you have ever read it, you'll know what I mean when I say that this is one of the most intriguing things you could read. The fic was "Harry Potter and the Promise Ring." Don't let the name fool you into thinking that it is just a piece of fluff. This girl knows what she's doing with a pen. I also suggest her other works to, "A Shattered Mirror," and the outtake from "The Promise Ring" called "Mixed Letters." That's all for now, but there will be more shout outs soon. 


	21. Round Every Corner

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: 'ROUND EVERY CORNER  
  
"Harry Potter!" Molly yelled, "Look at me."  
  
Harry looked up. Mrs. Weasley had a stern look on her face. 'Oh, I hope what ever she breaks, Madame Pomfrey can fix!' he thought to himself. Pulling all of his Gryffendor curage to the surface, he looked her straight in the eye. He wasn't going to back away. 'I've got to be strong,' Harry told himself, 'for me and Ginny. Just please don't let her kill me!'  
  
His thought wasn't heard by any 'higher power.' Within two seconds, Molly had him round the neck, and wasn't planning on letting him go. Every eye in the room was on her, and every mind was hoping she would releasing him soon.  
  
"Mum!" Ron shouted from behind Harry, "I don't think he can breathe!"  
  
"Oh, Harry!" she cried, loosening her grip on him, "I'm so sorry. What I said, to Ginny, and what I thought about you! I'm so sorry for it all!" There were sighs all around the room. "Seeing what actually happened, the horrible things that happened," Molly gasped, "Being cursed by the Dark Lord himself!" Her tone switched, "Well, I know that's nothing new for you, dear," there were giggles around the room. Molly was barely making any sense, and was switching from high to low every second.  
  
First she was crying, then she was joking with him. There was no end to the maddnes as the Weasley matron continued in her apology. "I never should have doubted you," she turned to Hermione, "and I should have allowed Ginny to explain. But you Ronald Weasley!" Ron flinched when his mother started in on him. "I owe you the biggest thanks."  
  
Anyone, who was present for Ron's tantrum against his mother, would have expected a firm verbal thrashing for the way Ron spoke to Molly. "You were the only one who remembered what it means to be family, and you were the one who defended your sister no matter what." There was a sigh of relief from Ron, "It took guts, and if you ever do it again, you will never set foot outside the Burrow."  
  
He gulped. "Yes, mum."  
  
"Now, where is Ginny," Molly asked, "I need to tell her all of this and more."  
  
"She's sleeping," Hermione replied.  
  
"Oh, that's right," she became deep in thought, "well, that's better. We've got a lot of planning to do." Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand and made a quill and piece of parchment appear in front of her. Sitting on a nearby bed, she started writting, nodding at certain points.  
  
"Molly..." Arthur questioned, "what are you doing, and how does it involve the rest of us?"  
  
"We've got a lot of ground to make up with Ginny," she started, recieving nods from the crowd of red heads, "and a simple apology isn't going to cover it. We need something big!"  
  
"What were you thinking?" Fred asked.  
  
"Well, maybe we could..."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
The plan was set for the next day. It was perfect, and every detail was covered. Everyone had their duty, some were harder than others, but no one was complaining. Even Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore were in on it. There was going to be nothing keeping Ginny from the big event.  
  
When she woke up the morning after her confrontation with her 'so called' family, she immediately wondered how she ended in her own bed. "Oh, well," she said, figuring that Ron had gotten her there somehow, she dressed for the day.  
  
It was Saturday, and what a beautiful one it was. For the first time, since she learned of her pregnancy, she smiled. Opening the window, Ginny noticed that it was already mid-day, and a new layer of snow had fallen. Students were everywhere, making snow angels, having snowball fights, and building snow men. It was going to be a good day. "As long as I can avoid my family, it will be great," she said, and set off down the stairs for some food. Looking at the time, she knew that the only place that she could get something to eat would be from the kitchen, so she decided that the first person that she would visit would be Dobby.  
  
There were a few people in the common room, catching up on homework, when she walked through it, and Ginny sudden felt glad that she had finished all of her work before. Now she could spend the weekend relaxing. 'Maybe I'll visit Hagrid today, too,' she thought. Exiting the common room she was careful to check around every corner for roaming red-heads. She couldn't risk one of her brothers catching her. 'This is going to be a family-free weekend,' Ginny thought to herself, 'except for Ron.'  
  
But coming to the painting of the giant fruit bowl, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she saw someone running towards her. "Hermione!" she breathed, "I thought you were one of my brothers." Ginny pointed to Hermione's hair, "The flash of red makes you look like one of us."  
  
"Well," Hermione giggled, "Luck for you, I'm not. But I was sent to come and get you. Lucky I got to you before you ate."  
  
"No," Ginny said firmly, "I refuse to see anyone of my family members, except Ron."  
  
"You've got it all wrong, Gin," Hermione told her, "Madame Pomfrey wants to see you, she said it was something about the potions you were suppose to start today."  
  
"Oh," Ginny sighed, "I completely forgot about that. Damn, I was looking forward to one of Dobby's icecream sundaes."  
  
"I might have to join you after you get done in the Hospital Wing, that sounds good," Hermione groaned, tunring to take the fastest ways to the infirmary.  
  
"Your on," she said, following Hermione, "Let's just hope I'll be able to eat after I take these potions."  
  
"What are they for?" Hermione asked.  
  
"They're masking potions. One is so that no one will be able to see that I'm pregnant, and the other is to keep me from acting and feeling it. That way, no one who hasn't been told, won't know," Ginny explained.  
  
Hermione was shocked, "Won't that be dangerous to the baby?"  
  
"No," Ginny said, "from what Madame Pomfrey told me, it's perfectly safe."  
  
"Isn't it kind of dissappointing," Hermione asked, opening the door to the Hospital Wing, "not going through the all of the things of a normal pregnancy?"  
  
"Well, seeing as I wasn't planning on this, and that I'm still in school," Ginny admitted, "I'm really glad that I'm being given this option."  
  
"Oh Ginny!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, carring a tray of potions, "I'm glad you're finally here. Now we can get started."  
  
A look of shock came over the young girl's face. Madame Pomfrey had at least twenty bottles on a tray, and when she left the room, she returned with another try with the same amount. "Please don't tell me that I have to take ALL of those."  
  
"Oh, no" the woman said, slipping back into her office, "I still have two more trays." For a few moments, Ginny was relieved, but when she heard the rest of what the medi-witch said, she suddenly had second thoughts about what she was about to do.  
  
"Are you sure this is safe?" Ginny chirped. Hermione started giggling at her friends change of heart.  
  
Seeing the shocked look on Ginny's face, Madame Pomfrey suddenly realized what exactly she had said. "Oh, Ginny! I didn't mean that you had to take them all right now. Only two of them. The rest you can take upto your room, so that you don't have to come here daily before breakfast."  
  
Ginny let out a very large sigh of relief, "You had me very worried for a second."  
  
With a flick of her wand, Madame Pomfrey had packed all but two of the potions into two boxes. One was blue and the other was red. "Now, you should take one of each color a day, until you run out. After that, you will switch to taking them only during the day."  
  
"Why?" Ginny asked, taking the two potions, and drinking them quickly. She felt a little queezy, but figured that it would wear off when the potions fully kicked in. According to what Madame pomfrey told her earlier, it would take a full hour for them to do so.  
  
"Because keeping the baby surpressed for too long could be harmful," Madame Pomfrey set the boxes next to Ginny. "We'll have to get you a new room, though."  
  
"A new room? Why?" There were so many unknowns comming into the picture that Ginny wished that she would have known about before.  
  
Madame Pomfrey launched into another explanation, "No one can learn of your being pregnant, and once you stop being 'masked' at night, you will look and feel it. You're roommates have to be blind and deaf to miss that one."  
  
"She could stay in the room meant for the Head Girl or Boy," Hermione suggested, "There isn't anyone using it this year since the Head Girl is from Slytherin and the Head Boy is from Hufflepuff. You could even move in now!"  
  
"That'd be great!"  
  
"Well then, it's settled then. I shall inform the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall about it right now. I'll have one of them meet you up there to open the door and have your belongings moved there," Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, "You should be settled in before you arrive. Now, if you'll excuse me." As she left the room, Madame Pomfrey gave a quick wink to Hermione.  
  
Ginny looked happily at Hermione, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" and then picked up the boxes and bounced towards the door.  
  
"What did I do?"  
  
"You got me my own room! Now I don't have to explain the potions to my roommates!"  
  
Hermione hated pulling her off cloud nine, but popped her bubble anyways, "What are you going to tell them when they want to know why you've moved?"  
  
Ginny stopped to think. "I'll tell them it's so they won't be woken from my nightmares."  
  
"You've been having nightmares again?" Hermione asked, taking one the boxes from her friend.  
  
"No, but they won't know the difference," Ginny giggled, "they could sleep through a hurricane."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
They walked slowly back to the Gryffendor tower, trying not to disturb the contents of their boxes. It wasn't a silent conversation, though. Ginny and Hermione spent the trip (the entire five minutes of it) catching up on old news.  
  
"So," Ginny teased, "you and my brother? You two are 'official' now?"  
  
Hermione blushed. Talking about her 'love life' was not something she was used to, especially when talking to her boyfriend's sister. "Yeah," she admitted, "I guess you can call us that. But it's not like anything has really changed."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well," Hermione explained, "we've always liked eachother, you know? Now, we just know about it."  
  
Ginny was confused, "And that's it? You just acknowledge each others feelings?"  
  
"I guess so," she started blushing. "Well," she replied sheepishly, "there are a few bennifits."  
  
"Oooo!" Ginny squealed, "That's so cute!"  
  
"Password?"  
  
The two girls were having so much fun chatting that they hadn't even noticed that they were standing in front of the portrait of the fat lady. "Password?"  
  
"Oh," Hermione said, regaining her sense, "White Dove."  
  
The painting swung open, revealing the Gryffendor common room behind it. It seemed almost exactly as it had before, the same students, in the same places, and the fire still crackling. the one difference was the presence of Minerva McGonagall. She was standing just inside the door waiting for them. "Good afternoon, girls."  
  
"Good afternoon, Professor," the two chimed in unison.  
  
"Well," the woman started, "shall we?" With a 'swoosh' of her arm they were off and up the stairs to the top landing. "Now, Miss Weasley, these are special circumstances that you are under, and I want it understood that there will be no exceptions made for you when concerning any of the rules."  
  
Ginny nodded along to everything she was being told. "I understand completely, Professor."  
  
McGonagall's voice suddenly took on a serious tone, "Now, the other thing I must tell you."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"For the duration of your pregnancy," she started, "you will not be allowed to fly, which includes playing quidditch."  
  
Ginny's jaw dropped. With it went the box of potions that she was carrying. Her eyes were wide and she lost the ability to speak. She heard low murmurs coming from inside the room.  
  
The password to her room was muttered, "Butterbeer," by the Professor, who pulled out her wand to clean up the liquid seeping from the box. As the door opened, shouts of "SURPRISE!" could be heard from inside the room. Ginny, still in shock from the restriction that she just heard, didn't even notice. The only one surprised by the gaggle of people in the room was Professor McGonagall, who dropped the box that she had just retrieved from the floor. The potions shattered for the second time.  
  
Too much was happening in one day. Ginny couldn't take it anymore. Her hormones were completely out of sync, since the potion hadn't fully kicked in yet. Looking to Hermione, who was trying to seem innocent in the situtation, Ginny's last words were, "Uhh," as she feld back down the stairs and out of the portrait hole. She heard people shouting after her, but just kept running.  
  
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A/N: Hey guys and gals! Few things:  
  
1) Sorry about the cliff hangers, I know you hate them but they make perfect places for me to drop the chapter (ha ha ha, drop.)  
  
2) Thanks for all the great reviews! I'm loving all the help and praise I'm getting.  
  
3) I need your help. Call it another Snizzle Contest. I need baby names! I've got a few picked out, don't ask, I'm not telling 'till later. BUT! I want to know what you guys are thinking. Maybe a few of your ideas might make me reconsider what I'm thinking...I don't know. Right NOW...I just want to know first and middle names for GIRLS...I'll ask for BOYS names later. The best I will re-post in my author's notes. (Just so you know, as I'm planning it now, the surname will be: Weasley-Potter. It makes it so much easier. And the child will only be called _first name_ Potter anyways, so it doesn't really matter.)  
  
Thanks for the help. SNIZZLE! 


	22. Thirteen Toes

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: THIRTEEN TOES  
  
The door had barely opened before she ran, not even hearing them calling out to her.  
  
"GINNY!"  
  
"Great!" Ron said sarcastically, "You guys are just making up so much ground with this one."  
  
"Shut it Ron," Hermione snapped at him, setting down the only whole box of potions that was left.  
  
"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "Where are you going?"  
  
"To find her," he said bluntly.  
  
"I think she needs some time," Ron told him, "you know? To cool off."  
  
"The last time you told me that," Harry mocked, "I listened. Then Ginny ended up pregnant with my child." There were a few laughs around the room, primarily from the twins, but Harry looked more serious than he'd been since after his fifth year. "I'm not going to be stupid enough to listen to you twice. If you'd excuse me."  
  
Everyone just stood there. There was something about what Harry said that was funny, yet completely silence-shattering serious. It was as if he truely cared about Ginny.  
  
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."  
  
"What is it Poppy?" Molly asked, sensing that something was wrong.  
  
Madame Pomfrey just stood looking at the mess outside the door. With a swoosh of her wand, she was holding the box of potions and trifling through them, searching for any remaining damage. "This is not good," the woman said, "not good at all."  
  
Mrs. Weasley became frustrated quickly. The party that she planned for her daughter was not going well at all. "Honestly, you need to stop speaking in riddles and phrases. It's enough to drive a person mad! What isn't good?"  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, setting the box beside the one that Hermione had set down. "I was just thinking that all of this additional stress is not good for Ginny. Nor is it good for the baby."  
  
"What 'additional stress?'" Arthur inquired, "Hermion, what happened out there? Surely the 'surprise' that we gave her didn't scare her off."  
  
"No," Professor McGonagall sighed, "I'm afraid that I was the one who 'scared her off,' as you put it."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I told her that she wouldn't be allowed to fly," jaws dropped around the room, "and that playing quidditch in her 'condition' is definately out of the question. I didn't realize that it was so important to her."  
  
"Well," Poppy started, "I must say that I agree with you, she certainly can't be off the ground-"  
  
"But," Ron interrupted, "it does explain why she was so shocked. Ginny loves being on a broom, almost more than Harry does. Now that I think about it, they have a lot in common." His last comment gained him looks from everyone in the room. "What?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry rushed out of Ginny's new room and away from the party. He started heading down the stairs, but then realized something. He didn't have a clue where she went, thanks to everyone trying to keep him from going after her. Instead of continuing down to the common room, Harry made a pit stop at his room.  
  
Digging through his trunk, he finally found exactly what he was searching for. The Marauder's Map. Pulling out his wand and activating the map, he searched for her dot. "There!" He exclaimed to himself. Folding the map he headed towards the point where he last saw her.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Outside, pacing by the lake, was Ginny. Exactly where the map said she would be. Harry didn't even have to take the map back out to see if she had moved. "GINNY!" he called down to her.  
  
Ginny gave a quite groan and turned to see who had come after her. Running towards her, was Harry. "What?" she asked when he was in speaking distance.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to catch his breath and talk at the same time. "Why did you run away?"  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"Ginny, when will you ever trust me?"  
  
"Harry," she sighed, "it's not that I don't trust you." Ginny turned away from him, walking back towards the bench overlooking the lake. "We've been through a lot together lately, and it's just the start of it. There is so much that is going to change, now-" she sat down. Looking out at the surface of the water, watching the ripples rising and falling. Beating peacefully against the shore. "I just don't want to worry you."  
  
Harry sat next to her. "Ginny," he soothed, "This is worrying me. Not knowing what is going on-" he sighed, "you being so stressed. It's not healthy. I should be the one constantly worring." Gently he put a hand up to her cheek and turned her back to him. Using his thumb, Harry caressed away a tear that had fallen. "I don't want my first baby to have thirteen toes." She giggled, and he took this as the perfect time to give her a hug. Whispering into her ear, he stole a quote from her brother. "You know, you don't always have to carry the world on your shoulders. That's why you have friends. That's why you have me."  
  
Thinking that all of this would cheer her up, Harry was surprised when he heard Ginny sobbing. She pushed him away and looked back at the lake, ashamed to let him see her tears. "I'm so scared," she whispered. "What if something goes wrong, or what if this IS what Voldermort wanted to happen? We could be doing exactly what he wants us to, by me having this baby-"  
  
"Don't think about that Ginny. Don't-"  
  
"But I can't help it. Harry, I keep having all of these thoughts," Ginny stopped crying and was looking straight at Harry, completely terrified, "about what could go wrong."  
  
He didn't know what to do. Suddenly, he wished that Ron was here, to calm her down. "Nothing will go wrong," he attempted.  
  
"You don't know that," she spat. "We can't be sure of anything."  
  
"You're right. We can't be sure of anything," Harry agreed, "We can only hope that if we do everything that Madame Pomfrey and all of the other adults tell us, that everything will turn out okay."  
  
Ginny only nodded in response. She knew what he was saying was true. There was something about the way he said that comforted her. 'He's scared, just like me.'  
  
"But first," Harry said taking her hands, "you need to stop worrying and relax. So let's go back up to your room and enjoy the party that your mum is throwing for you."  
  
"Why is my mum throwing me a party?" Ginny asked, double taking at his words. "I thought she was mad at me."  
  
"Well," Harry started, "after you fell alseep last night, I went to the Hospital Wing to talk to your family."  
  
Her eyes went wide, "What did you say? What did they say?"  
  
"Don't worry!" he chuckled, "Ron and Hermione followed me there. The three of us were able to convince them all to watch your memory."  
  
"So," she said, relaxing slightly, "they understand? Everythings okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Everythings okay. This whole party was to get you to forgive them for the way they acted."  
  
"I might be able to do that," Ginny teased, "if there's food. I AM STARVING! Those potions may make me not look or feel pregnant, but they don't cure the bottom-less-pit hunger!"  
  
Harry just smiled at her, glad that she had regained her sense of humor about the whole thing. 'She's turning into Ron,' he thought. Laughing, Harry stood from the bench, offering her his arm. "Well then, I'd better get you back to that party! Dobby spent most of the morning preparing for it."  
  
"Please tell me that there are sundaes!" Ginny whined, taking his arm, "I've had a craving for one since I woke up."  
  
Walking back up to the party, Ginny continue to list everything that she wanted to eat. To Harry's surprise she was planning on eating more than he had ever seen Ron eat in one sitting. "You're going to break Ron's record if you actually eat all of that. Honestly Gin, how can you be that hungry?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well," Ginny responded, putting some serious thought into what she said, "I haven't had anything to eat since dinner yesterday, and even then I didn't eat very much because I was so nervous." Harry nodded along with her reasoning. "That," she proclaimed, " and I'm pregnant."  
  
"That explains everything, doesn't it?" Harry teased, knocking on the door to Ginny's room.  
  
The door opened slowly. Everyone was still there, but now they just stood there watching her as Harry escorted her into the room. It was too quite. Frowning, Ginny asked, "What? Don't I even get the slightest murmur of 'Surprise' this time?" It was like the magic words of happiness. Everyone instantly smiled at her.  
  
As people were shouting 'Surprise!' a banner dropped, reading "Congradulations Ginny and Harry!" Before Ginny had a spare moment to even see the food table under the sign, her mother rushed over to her, holding a fudge cover dish and giving her a tear filled hug. "I'm so sorry Ginny!" Molly exclaimed.  
  
"It's okay mum," she said, "just hand over the sundae!"  
  
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A/N: Thank you so much everyone for the great name options! Keep 'em coming, but go ahead and start sending me options for BOYS. Thanks for the awesome SNIZZLES!!! OH, by the way! My cousin's wedding is this Saturday. Since I can't stand not posting one day, I'm going to either double post on Friday or Sunday. I think that's fair for everyone, don't you agree? That's probably how it's going to work when I can't post on certain days. SNIZZLE! SNIZZLE! SNIZZLE! 


	23. How I Imagined

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: HOW I IMAGINED  
  
The rest of the party went better than the begining of it. Today was just a normal Saturday, and Ginny was just another girl at Hogwarts...that was being thrown a "Congrats On Your Baby" party. Her life was almost as it should have been...perfect. Add a few more years to her and it would be exactly how she imagined her first pregnancy would be like. Carefree, happy and hungry.  
  
"Ginny? How much are you planning to eat?"  
  
For the past two hours, Ginny had done nothing but talk and eat. Before she started a new converstation she would grab something else off the food table to eat. Considering the number of people there, that was a lot of food for one person to consume during one sitting. Sure, she was a Weasley, but Ginny was always the one in the family to eat the least. She was on her third sundae when Ron finally stopped her.  
  
"Shut it Ron!"  
  
Ron was almost grossed out by the amount of food that his sister was consuming. By his count, she was about to clear her third full meal. "No, seriously, you've eaten about three times as much as I have."  
  
Hermione interrupted him, "And that's saying something!"  
  
"If you keep eating like that," Ron laughed, "the potions that you're taking won't be able to keep you from looking pregnant."  
  
"Ha ha ha," she retorted, moving to slap him upside the head. She missed, but Hermione didn't, "Very funny, but speaking of my potions-"  
  
"What about them?" Madame Pomfrey asked.  
  
"Well, do I still need to have them at night? Now that I have my own room and all." Ginny shifted uncomfortably noticing that the life of the party slowed to a simmer at her question. "I don't mind taking them. No morning sickness, no back pain, no constant need to go to the bathroom. It's just-" The party completely halted when she lost her voice.  
  
Harry knew exactly where this was leading, "She's worried about what the potions will do to the baby." Ginny gave a small sigh, glad that the room wasn't staring at her, but still nervous about what might the answer to her question would be.  
  
"Ginny," Madame Pomfrey started, "I've already told you this."  
  
"Well, please, just once more."  
  
"If it will make you feel better," sighed Madame Pomfrey, "There will be no harm to your baby as long as you do not stay on the potions for very long."  
  
It was now Molly who felt the need to interrupt, "But then shouldn't she stay off them at night?"  
  
"No," the medi-witch was getting frustrated with all of the questions. "While the baby is in it's early stages of developement, it is best not to rock back and forth between taking and not taking the potions. Stability is key." Hearing this, Ginny became relieved.  
  
The next few moments went in slow motion. There was a slight pain in her stomach that sent chills through her spine. She jumped slightly at the feeling and regrettably droped the glass that was in her hands. "Ooo," Ginny moaned putting a hand protectively to her stomach.  
  
"Are you alright, Gin?" people asked her, rushing to her side.  
  
It took her a few seconds to realize that she was being asked a question. "Huh?" Seeing the looks that she was recieving, and fearing a trip to the Hospital Wing, she faked her health, "Oh, yeah," Ginny muttered, "I'm fine, just a little," this time her hand went to her temple, "I think I shouldn't have had so much to eat. I'm just starting to feel a little-" she lost her focus she felt her knees weaken. Before she hit the ground, she felt a pair of arms swoop under her, saving her from a collision.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry asked, still kneeling on the floor under her weight, "Ginny look at me..."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
She wasn't out for too long, and (thankfully) she didn't have to return to the infirmary that night. Madame Pomfrey had her checked out and awake before she even started to dream. "You can't eat that much food! It alters the potions effects. You need to be careful. Just because you're hungry, doesn't mean that you have to eat."  
  
Ginny decided to lighten the mood from the lecture she was getting, "I never thought that I would see the day," Ginny laughed from her bed, "when food turns on a Weasley."  
  
"Well," Molly started, "trust me, as soon as you get home, you'll be going on a very specific diet. They give you too much freedom here. You won't be eating like that again, not as long as I'm close by." All of the Weasley children recognized the look that their mother had on her face. She was about to launch into a lecture. "That's not the only change that's going to happen." Moans could be hear from all of the children who lived at the burrow. (The others took this opportunity to snicker and be glad that they moved out.)  
  
"We are going to be redoing a lot of things. For one, we have to baby-proof the house, and well," Molly explained, taking her daughter's hand, "We're going to have create a nursery," Ginny's eye's lit up at what she was being told, "which will take a lot of work in it's own, with the reconstruction, and the painting, and the decoration," realizing that she was rambling, Mrs. Weasley continued on with the rest of their summer plans. "But we are also going to have to make Ron's room larger as well."  
  
"My room?" Ron asked, "Not that I'm complaining, mum. But why does my room need to be bigger?"  
  
Turning back to Ginny Mrs. Weasley launched into another apology attempt. "I talked this over with your father, Ginny, and we agreed. You and Harry need to be together during this, so we figured, if it's alright with you, Harry dear," Molly asked, turning to Harry, "that you would move into Ron's room. At least for this summer."  
  
"Oh Mum!" Ginny squealed, "Dad! Thank you!"  
  
"Now, none of this is official," Mr. Weasley began, "we still need to hear what you think, Albus."  
  
Since the begining of the conversation, the headmaster had been intently listening to what was going on. Upon hearing what the plans were, Dumbledore knew exactly where this was going, and when the time finally came for him to comment, he considered not saying anything at all on the matter until later on. But, when everyone was staring at him, waiting for a response, he knew that he had to tell them. No matter how much of a shock it would be to Ginny.  
  
"I think that the only question that we need to answer," he started, "is how much of a precaution do we need to take in this whole ordeal."  
  
"Precaution?" Arthur asked, "What kind of a precaution? If it's a matter of saftey-"  
  
"That is exactly the matter that I am worried about. Especially since we don't know what Lord Voldermort is planning. We need to be sure that EVERY precaution is taken."  
  
"Every precaution?" Molly hesitated, "Where will she, and the baby, be safest, if not in thier own home? Under the protection of their family?"  
  
"Because it is Mr. Potter's child that Ginny is carrying, and because of the bond the two share," Dumbledore infromed them, "I believe that Ginny will be the safest where Harry is the safest."  
  
Ron took the first guess, "At Hogwarts? But they can't stay here for the summer!"  
  
"No," Harry whispered. He knew exactly where Dumbledore was suggesting. Turning to the aged man, he asked, "Surely you can't be serious? She can't move in with me, not with the Dursleys!"  
  
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A/N: Thanks for all of the Snizzles! It's great to know that no matter what happens in this story, all of you will be behind me, waiting for the next plot turn. It really means a lot to me. NOW! With all of the whole hearted fluff aside, I've got another SNIZZLER POLL: SHOULD GINNY AND HARRY LEARN THE SEX? How should it work? Let me know! SNIZZLE!!! - !snizzle! - SNIZZLE!!! 


	24. Glimpse of Reality

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: GLIMPSE OF REALTY  
  
"Because it is Mr. Potter's child that Ginny is carrying, and because of the bond the two share," Dumbledore infromed them, "I believe that Ginny will be the safest where Harry is the safest."  
  
Ron took the first guess, "At Hogwarts? But they can't stay here for the summer!"  
  
"No," Harry whispered. He knew exactly where Dumbledore was suggesting. Turning to the aged man, he asked, "Surely you can't be serious? She can't move in with me, not with the Dursleys!"  
  
"WHAT!" Molly was on her feet, "I REFUSE TO ALLOW MY DAUGHTER, MY PREGNANT DAUGHTER, TO STAY WITH- WITH- WITH THOSE MUGGLES!"  
  
Albus was expecting this, "It is the safest place for her to be."  
  
"Safe?" she asked, no longer screaming but completely annoyed. "Safe? How is it safe? Especially for a pregnant woman? She needs special care!" Molly was a tomato, ripe and ready to burst. All of the innocent people in the room were wincing at her words. "Don't you know how they treat Harry over the summer? And he's a blood relation!"  
  
"Don't remind me," Harry murmured.  
  
"How do you think they will treat the girl who's pregnant with his baby?" Molly didn't even give the man more than a second to respond. "I'll tell you what! Horribly."  
  
"Molly," he tried, "will you calm down?"  
  
"I will not!" she spat, returning to Ginny's side, "Nor will I allow my daughter to go to that horrible place."  
  
"Mum," Ginny sighed.  
  
"She'll need her mother."  
  
She tried again, "Mum?"  
  
"She'll need-"  
  
"MUM!" screaming for attention from her mother, literally, Ginny was completely pissed off. "STOP THIS! If it is in the best intrest of my baby," she urged, "I will move in with Harry." There was a stunned look on her mother's face. "But, only until the baby is born. Then I am coming straight home."  
  
Mrs. Weasley was feeling rejected, "Honestly, Virginia! You can't be serious?" Tears were filling Molly's eyes, "You need to live in the wizarding world!"  
  
"No, mum," Ginny refused, "I shouldn't be living in the wizarding world. What if one of Voldermort's Death Eaters see me, pregnant?"  
  
"They won't know because of the potions!"  
  
"I won't be taking the potions during summer. I can't stay on them that long," Ginny explained.  
  
"She's right, Molly," Madame Pomfrey said, "Once she leaves Hogwarts, she will return to a normal pregnancy. It would be too damaging too keep her on them."  
  
Mrs. Weasley was trying to get some sort of support from the people in the room. "Even so, she can still come home."  
  
"Mum," Ginny begged, "Please! Put yourself in my shoes. You would do anything to protect me, and I understand that is why you are trying to talk me into coming home, but I have to think about the safety of my baby. I have to go with Harry to the Dursley's. I can't risk it." Tears streamed down her face, as she pleaded with her mother to see the bigger picture. "I won't risk it."  
  
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Ginny sighed to herself. It had been two months since she had started taking the masking potions, and they were the greatest time that she could ever hope for while being pregnant. She was already four and a half months along. Reality wasn't really setting in on Ginny. The only time she even acted like she was pregnant was the day after her party, when it came time to turn in her Quidditch robes. Completely out of the blue, she started crying. Harry had to take her back up to the castle.  
  
Everyone was really concerned for her. "Ron," one of the chasers asked, "why is she quitting? It's obvious that she doesn't want to."  
  
What could he say? He couldn't tell them the truth. He didn't want to lie, either. "Ummm, I'm not entirely sure," he mumbled, "but I think it has something to do with that attack that happened over Christmas Break." There were looks of confusion, so he blemished a few more of the facts, "It happened while she was flying. I don't think that she's gotten over it. Something about things flying at her scares her," he explained, "At least that's what I've been told."  
  
Looking back, she definately wished that she could have been allowed to keep playing, at least during practice. When school got out, she would be going straight to the Dursley's with Harry, and it would be impossible to even mention the word 'broom' without the word 'clean' in the same phrase. It was going to be hard. Life without magic...not that she did magic during the holidays, but at least the people around her did.  
  
Ginny let out a heavy sigh, but Hermione, who was lying next to her reading, heard and took notice. "What's wrong Gin?"  
  
She began to pout, "This stupid spell isn't working."  
  
"Which spell?"  
  
Ginny handed Hermione the book she was referring to, "The one at the top of the page."  
  
"The one to determine to things apart?" Hermione asked, but only got a nod in response. "Why do you want to cast that?"  
  
"I want to know if I'm having a boy or a girl."  
  
"I thought that you decided NOT to find out. What happened?"  
  
"I didn't decide anything," Ginny grumbled, "Harry said that he didn't want to know. Said it would be better as a surprise. And of course, my mum backed him. I was out numbered."  
  
"Well," Hermione started, reading over the spell that Ginny was trying to use, "Why do you think that something went wrong?"  
  
"Because it's not working," she was pouting again, and this time Hermione sent her back a glare. "Well, it's supposed to give me a sign."  
  
Hermione read, "'Designate a color to your items.' What did you use?"  
  
There was a moment of 'Duh!' in Ginny's voice. "Pink and blue."  
  
"Well, which did you get?"  
  
Glumly, Ginny flatly said, "Purple."  
  
"What?"  
  
Ginny explained the whole 'sign,' "There are two separate orbs. One is pink and one is blue. But then they combine, turn purple, and go into my stomach."  
  
Hermione read and re-read the page in the book that Ginny had given her, "Maybe it's not working right because of the potions you are taking. They are supposed to 'mask' all signs of your pregnancy."  
  
"I guess," Ginny sighed again.  
  
"Now what's wrong?"  
  
"It's nothing," she muttered, "I'm just wondering what it will be like to not be 'masked' during the night. I should be 'normal' again within the hour."  
  
"Well, it can't be too much of a difference," Hermione assured her.  
  
"Nice try."  
  
Hermione shrugged off her comment and continued reading. "Just doing my job."  
  
Ginny proped herself up on one arm, "Your job? What do you mean?"  
  
"Nothing," she hissed, turning back to her book.  
  
"Bull," Ginny scolded. "Don't lie to me," she was getting upset.  
  
"Ok," closing her book, Hermione pushed herself into a sitting position. "Harry made me promise that I would keep you calm-" Ginny's jaw clenched, "- and relaxed," when her friend's knuckles went white she scooted away from her on the bed, "which I am not doing very well."  
  
There was a sudden switch in Ginny's appearance. At first she was completely that she was being treated like she would break from a breeze. There was no reason to treat her like she was dying! But then, just as she was going to explode at Hermione (who had moved herself as far away from Ginny on the bed) her expression changed to one of pure pain.  
  
Her jaw dropped, face paled, and hands flew to her stomach as she curled in agony. Whispering, she could only say two words before bursting into tears, "Get Help!" There was a slight spring to the mattress as Hermione popped off the bed and started running. It was still before curfew, and the common room was in it's 'filling' stage. The first people she found were Harry and Ron, sitting comfortably in front of the fire.  
  
Reaching them, mid-conversation with Neville and the other sixth year boys, she rushed to them. She looked around, regaining her sense, and decided it best to only whisper the news to Ron and Harry instead of announcing it to the entire common room. The others looked completely annoyed with her interruption, but only expressed it in growls. They growled even more when Harry and Ron sprang up and sprinted up the steps, throwing all of their books, quills and papers to the floor.  
  
"Barely ever get to spend time with them," Dean muttered, "and when we do, Hermione comes a breaks them away, right before the punch line of their joke."  
  
Hermione didn't go with them to Ginny's side. Instead she rushed out of the door and ran through the halls to the infirmary. However, the school didn't agree with her hurring, and decided to complicate things. Mid step, the stair case she was on started to move, landing her in a completely different place than she wanted to be. When she thought of another way to travel, she started running, again, down the steps, only to look over a railing to see ALL of the cases moving. "UGH! Please," she groaned, to herself more than the changing flights, "this is an EMERGENCY! I have to get to the Hospital Wing!"  
  
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When Harry and Ron reached Ginny's room, the door was still slightly ajar from when Hermione had rushed out. Upon entering, they first noticed Ginny, writhing on her bed, clutching her bed spread and moaning. "Ginny? What's going on?"  
  
"Harry!" she weezed, "Can't you feel it?"  
  
"What?" Harry looked to Ron, but both of them were completely confused.  
  
"The pain! Can't you feel it?" Ginny looked directly at him, "There's something wrong with the baby."  
  
"Harry?" Ron asked with a clenched jaw, "What is she talking about?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment, "The bond," he said loudly, "Gin, I don't know what's going on, but the only thing that has happened was a headache. I'm sorry."  
  
"UGH!" Ginny screamed, "Make. It. Stop!"  
  
There was nothing else for Harry to do. He couldn't make her pain stop, and that made him feel guilty. There was nothing he could do. "Please," she cried. Harry thought for a moment, 'What can I do? I can't just stand here!'  
  
Ron was the only sane one in the room (for the moment). Realizing that his best friend was completely clueless, he smacked him upside the head, and pushed him towards Ginny. With a serious glare, he mouthed, "GO TO HER!" With a jerk of his head, Ron made one last hint towards the bed and then left the room, to wait for Hermione to come back with help.  
  
Inside the room, Harry took up the hints and walked nervously towards the bed. Scooping her up, he sat there, on her bed, and held her. It was as if Ginny were his child, instead of the mother of his child. As she cried into his shoulder, her hands still clutching her stomach, he began to rock her. With a soothing voice, he whispered to her, "Shhh, it's okay Ginny. I'm here. Help is on the way. It's okay."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: HEY SNIZZLERS! I've gotta send some Fried Ice Cream to: [kberg1989] for being the 200th SNIZZLER! AND Chocolate Covered Grasshoppers (the yummy non-gramh cracker kind) to [Cilo] for informing me about it. [I think this is the second time?] Oh, and tomorrow, there WILL BE A DOUBLE POST! CHAPTER 25 & CHAPTER 26 WILL BE PUT UP TOMORROW.  
  
SNIZZLE OPINION POLL: BABY GIRL? or BABY BOY?  
  
Oh, and, before you send your snizzles out, I AM SORRY FOR THE CLIFF! 


	25. Pained Expressions

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: PAINED EXPRESSIONS  
  
Outside the room, Ron was waiting for someone to get there. 'What is taking her so long?' he thought, 'Leave it to Hermione to complicate a simple thing as fetching the school nurse.' There were times, while he was waiting, where he felt the urge to go back into his sister's room and try to help ease her pain, but then he realized. 'I can't. That's what Harry is for in this whole situation.'  
  
Ron found an irony to what he had seen. 'Go figure,' he thought, 'this great bond they are supposed to be sharing, and Harry only gets a headache.' While he was thinking, Hermione and Madame Pomfrey showed up, running up the steps, both out of breath.  
  
"What's going on?" the woman sputtered, "Hermione couldn't tell me anything."  
  
"Something is wrong with Ginny," he filled her in. When she had rushed into the room, ordering them to wait outside, Ron turned to Hermione, "What took so long?"  
  
She was still low on oxygen, responding in short spurts, "I started running- and when I was almost there- the stairs started shifting- they wouldn't stop!"  
  
Ron started laughing at his girlfriend, "I thought you knew everything about this castle's history."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ever heard of the rule: 'No running in the halls?'" he asked her, recieving a cold glare in return, "Well, this castle takes it rather seriously. I'm surprised you didn't know that, You've read that damn 'Hogwarts: A History' book more than a dozen times."  
  
"It wasn't in there."  
  
Ron started laughing at her again, feeling very smug for knowing something that she didn't. He would have kept going on, if the door wouldn't have opened. Both of them stood to attention, wait to hear some news of what was going on inside.  
  
"You might as well sit back down," Harry sighed, "it'll be a while."  
  
"What's going on?" Ron asked, motioning for him to sit with them.  
  
"I don't know," he muttered, putting his head in his hands, "I wish that I did. I hate having to wait! It's so-" Harry paused, "so-"  
  
"Scary?" Hermione offered, now sitting on the steps between Ron's knees.  
  
"Yeah," he said, "and what's worse, is that is has to be a thousand times more for her. At least I have you guys." Harry felt tears coming to his eyes, but then blinked them away. "She's in there, alone, and in pain."  
  
"But Harry," Ron said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "she has you, and all of us. She's not alone."  
  
"What good am I to her if I don't even know how to help her?"  
  
Hermione was confused at what he was saying, but Ron knew what he was talking about, "Just because you didn't know what to do right away doesn't mean that you didn't help. Sometimes we all need a little PUSH," he said, emphasizing the word by pushing his shoulder, "in the right direction."  
  
"You know, Ron," Harry said, laughing at his friend, "you really have a knack for cheering people up. You should look into a career in counseling."  
  
"I'll think about it."  
  
The three of them sat there, waiting for the door to open behind them, and to know, finally, what was going on. There wasn't really any sounds that could be heard from inside the room. Once they heard a something shatter, but only Harry took it seriously. "Harry," Ron firmly said, "sit down. When something happens, we'll know."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
It was a full hour before they were allowed back into the room. Luckily it didn't take anylonger, because Harry was breaking into a nervous sweat at the thought of different possibilities. It was actully getting to the unbearable point of annoying.  
  
"I swear Harry," Ron said after about the tenth time that he had brought up Ginny in five minutes, "if you bring up one more thing about what's going on in that room, you'll be the one screaming in pain, got the idea?" There was only a nod, but Ron knew that he understood completely.  
  
All three of them jump up when Madame Pomfrey opened the door and invited them back into the room. "You can come back in now," she said, smiling happily.  
  
"Alright," they replied, walking back up the steps and inside. When Madame Pomfrey moved out of the way, there sat Ginny, in her bed, smiling. "Hi Guys!" she exlaimed. They were shocked. She was sitting there, but they weren't sure if it was her or not. "Hello?"  
  
"Ginny!" Ron teased, "You're HUGE!"  
  
She threw a pillow at him, but he ducked and it hit Harry straight in the head. "I don't get it-" Harry started, still leaving his jaw at the ground. Ginny giggled at him.  
  
"Something isn't right," Hermione commented, sitting on the bed beside her friend. "You're too big," ducking the pillow, she continued, "Your only, what? Four months pregnant - you shouldn't be this big!"  
  
Ginny looked to Madame Pomfrey, who wanted to laugh, but instead said, "Why don't you tell them."  
  
Harry was begining to panic again. "Tell us what?!?"  
  
"I'm pregnant-" she started.  
  
"I know that," Harry interrupted.  
  
"NO," Ginny giggled at him, "I'm pregnant with TWINS!"  
  
Ron's jaw hit the floor, "What?"  
  
"Oh, Congradulations!" Hermione squealed, hugging her.  
  
Harry gave a bit of a different reaction. His face went from shocked to happy to surprised and then to a realization. He was going to be the father of twins! BAM!  
  
"OH! Harry!" Ginny gasped as Harry fainted, but couldn't hold back the fits of giggles that were attacking both herself, Hermion, Ron and Madame Pomfrey.  
  
"This is priceless!" Ron chuckled.  
  
Hermione decided to turn the tables on him, "I remember," she started, "when I asked you to the Christmas Party. You did the exact same thing." The laughter doubled, "At least Harry has a reason."  
  
"Maybe we should get him off the floor," Ginny suggested.  
  
Madame Pomfrey wiped her eyes, "Oh, yes we should." With a flick, he was now lying on Ginny's bed, still with the same look on his face. "Hope you don't mind, dear."  
  
"Oh, no," Ginny said, "I just can't wait until he wakes! I'll bet that he passes out, again."  
  
There was snickers around the group. "Well then," Madame Pomfrey said, "I should be off. I'll let your mother in on the good news."  
  
Ginny called after the woman as she was leaving the room, "Thank you!"  
  
"So," Hermione begun, "what happened? Why were you in so much pain?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: I'm really glad that some of you picked up on the purple orbs thing meaning twins. I've got some smart cookies in the bag! Oh, and I also need to thank [Porphyrophobic Grape] for the idea. (I'm not sure if I said that with yesterdays post) BUT, as I promised, there will be TWO POSTS TODAY! (YAY!) Later tonight, when I get home from the Rehersal Dinner, I will be putting up the second chapter (the one I would normally post tomorrow). Hope you like 'em both! SNIZZLE! 


	26. Lost Moments

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: LOST MOMENTS   
  
There was snickers around the group. "Well then," Madame Pomfrey said, "I should be off. I'll let your mother in on the good news."  
  
Ginny called after the woman as she was leaving the room, "Thank you!"  
  
"So," Hermione begun, "what happened? Why were you in so much pain?"   
  
"Maybe I should wait for Harry to wake," Ginny giggled, "I don't want to tell the whole story twice."   
  
"Alright," Hermione muttered. "My goodness Ginny! You're going to be having twins!"   
  
"As long as they both aren't like Fred and George," Ron teased, "you and Harry should be fine."  
  
"Bloody Hell Ginny!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Purple! I get it now!" Hermione exclaimed.  
  
Ron was in the dark, "What do you mean, what about purple?"  
  
"Ginny did a spell to see what the sex would be-"  
  
"I thought you were going to wait," Ron interrupted.  
  
Ginny shook her head, "No, Harry wanted to wait and I was too curious."  
  
"Well, anyway," Hermione launched, "the spell came out purple." Only Hermione was understanding what that meant. "You set the spell for either pink or blue-" Still no reaction, "Purple is a mix of pink and blue." It hadn't set in yet, and Hermione couldn't wait for her to figure it out, "Your going to have a baby girl AND a baby boy!"  
  
"OH!" Ginny gasped, "I get it! You're right!"  
  
"Congradulations!" Ron said, "What about names? I personally like the name Ronald," he mentioned, winking at his sister.  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on Gin," he pleaded, "Ronald is a great name."  
  
"Save it for your children."  
  
"Besides," Hermione told Ron, "you can't name them both Ron."  
  
"I was thinking about names the other day," Ginny declared, "and that's why I wanted to know the sex, and I think I've got my top picks. But I want to see what Harry thinks - that is, when he wakes-"  
  
"OUT OF MY WAY!" There was a sudden voice booming through the room as Ginny was about to reveal her name picks. "Let me see her!"  
  
Molly Weasley.  
  
"Mum!"  
  
"Oh, my little Virginia!" Molly cried, "Or maybe my 'big' Virginia?"  
  
"That's enough of that."  
  
"Sorry dear," she muttered, "but you are rather large for only four months."  
  
"Weren't you told?" Ginny asked. There was no response. "Ron," she said, "Get ready for another reaction -" her brother gave a short nod, and immediately rose to his feet and stood behind his mother.  
  
"Maybe you should sit down, mum," Ron suggested.  
  
It took a little persuading, but soon enough, she agreed to sit next to Hermione. When she was settled, Ginny told her the good news. "Mum," she paused, "I'm pregnant with twins."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"Twins mum!" she exclaimed, "I'm having TWINS!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley didn't really know how to react. "Oh my giddy aunt! If they are anything like the twins, you better pray for help, let me tell you." There was a smile on the woman's face as she finished her warning, "I'm so happy for you!" Tears came to her eyes, "My baby is having a baby!"  
  
"Two babies!" Ginny interrupted.  
  
"Do you know the sex yet?" Molly asked.  
  
"Yes-"  
  
"But I thought you agreed to wait? What-"  
  
Ginny was getting tired of explaining everything two or three times. "Harry wanted to wait, but I was too curious, so I cast a determining spell."  
  
"Well?" Molly waited, "What was it? Pink or Blue?"  
  
"How do you know the spell?"  
  
A large grin appeared on Mrs. Weasley's face, "Because I've used it. After Ron was born, I had had enough of boys. I wanted a baby girl. And I was too curious to wait for you to be born, dear. Your father still doesn't know that I knew you were going to be a girl."  
  
Ginny was still estatic, "You never told him?"  
  
"He was traditional," Molly stated, "he didn't want to know."  
  
"Do you think that I shouldn't tell Harry that I know?" Ginny questioned seriously.  
  
"No," she said, "tell him, but you need to tell me. I'm still as curious as ever - it's a Weasley Woman's curse."  
  
"It turned purple."  
  
"Purple?" Molly paused to think. "OH CONGRADULATIONS!"  
  
"Well," Hermione laughed, "she figured it out faster than you did."  
  
"When are you going to tell Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
  
Ginny gave a slight giggle and pointed to the sleeping Harry next to her. "As soon as he wakes."  
  
"Goodness," Molly said, "I didn't even see him there. What happened?"  
  
Ron gave a laugh, "He didn't take the news too well. He fainted when he found out about the twins. I guess the thought that they would be related to Fred and George got to him."  
  
"Ginny, dear" Mrs. Weasley muttered, "we're going to have to pick out a new color for the nursery!"  
  
"Why? I like the idea of using yellow."  
  
"If you're sure-"  
  
Hermione interrupted them, "I think Harry is waking up..."  
  
She was right, stirring beside her, Harry started to flutter awake. When he opened his eyes Ginny was the first to pounce on him with the jokes, "Morning Sleeping Beauty! Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?" she sweetly said.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
She held back a giggle, "You fainted after hearing that I was pregnant with triplets."  
  
Harry just paled again. "Tri-triplets? But I thought-"  
  
The room errupted with laughter. He was barely awake for a minute, and Ginny had him out like a light. Hermione was the first to comment, "That was mean Ginny."  
  
"I couldn't help it!"  
  
"Well wake him up! I want to know what happened with you before."  
  
Mrs. Weasley suddenly got worried, "What happened before?"  
  
"I had a little pain-"  
  
Ron interrupted, "A Little? When I got here, you could barely breathe you were in so much pain."  
  
"Ok," Ginny admitted, "So it was more that a little, but it is nothing to worry about."  
  
"Are you sure?" Molly demanded.  
  
"Yes," she reassured, "Madame Pomfrey said it was just from being off my potions. It was my body catching up with four months of being pregnant. It won't happen every night, just this time."  
  
"If you're sure-"  
  
"Yes mum," Ginny said, "I'm sure. Besides, now I feel great! A little tired," she yawned, "but great all the same."  
  
"We should go then," Ron suggested, motioning towards the door.  
  
"Yes," Mrs. Weasley agreed, "We should."  
  
"I'll see you in the morning, at breakfast then."  
  
"What about Harry, Ginny?" Hermione asked.  
  
"You guys go ahead, I'll wake him and send him to bed shortly." Ginny suggested, "I need to tell him that he's not fathering an extra child."  
  
"Well," Ron said, "you do that."  
  
"Goodnight!"  
  
"Night Ginny!"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Harry...Harry, wake up!"  
  
"Hmm," he moaned, "Five more minutes Ron, your stomach can wait."  
  
"Yes," Ginny sighed, "but mine can't!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Wake UP!"  
  
Harry quickly sat up, "What! What is it? Are you-"  
  
"No," Ginny giggled, "but it was the only way I could think to get you awake."  
  
"That is not funny." Harry relaxed, "Especially after telling me that we are having-" he remembered the last thing that she told him, "Oh Merlin! You weren't serious? Tell me you weren't serious! We aren't having triplets, right?"  
  
"No," Ginny said, "We aren't having triplets. But we are having twins."  
  
"Ugh!" he moaned, "I thought that was a dream."  
  
"Well, if you're not happy about it-" tears started streaming down Ginny's face.  
  
"No!" Harry soothed, "No, I was- I am surprised. I'm really happy about it! It's just so unexpected!"  
  
"I know, but Madame Pomfrey says that everything is okay," she smiled at him, "both of them are fine."  
  
"What about you? Are you alright? What was that whole episode?"  
  
"Breathe Harry," she teased. "Everything is fine, it was just from not being on my masking potion. Like a magic craving."  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"YES!" she yelled, sick of everyone asking her the same questions. "The only thing that I'm not sure of, is if I will ever get to sleep tonight."  
  
"Maybe I should go-"  
  
"Ooo," Ginny suddenly sighed.  
  
"What!" Harry exclaimed.  
  
Ginny felt a flutter in her stomach. "I don't know, it was the weirdest feeling," she explained, putting her hand on her stomach, "like something- I don't know."  
  
"Should I get Madame Pomfrey?"  
  
"No," Ginny giggled, "Just feel this." She smiled, "It's the baby, or should I say babies! Thier kicking!" Grabbing his hand, Ginny placed it on her stomach under hers. "Feel it? Right there?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: Hey, this one is for 08/23/03 [Saturday where I am in Wisconsin] Hope you're enjoying it all the while! SNIZZLE IF YA WIZZLE!!! You all are the greatest! 


	27. Whispers and Promises

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: WHISPERS AND PROMISES  
  
"Ooo," Ginny suddenly sighed.  
  
"What!" Harry exclaimed.  
  
Ginny felt a flutter in her stomach. "I don't know, it was the weirdest feeling," she explained, putting her hand on her stomach, "like something- I don't know."  
  
"Should I get Madame Pomfrey?"  
  
"No," Ginny giggled, "Just feel this." She smiled, "It's the baby, or should I say babies! Thier kicking!" Grabbing his hand, Ginny placed it on her stomach under hers. "Feel it? Right there?"  
  
Harry didn't know what to expect when she placed his hand on her belly. There was nothing there. Not a kick, or a wiggle, or any sign of movement. "Are you sure?"  
  
"I was," she said. "I don't know what to tell you. They were just moving." Ginny released his hand, and pushed herself up and into more of a sitting posistion. As soon as he moved his hand away, she felt it again. Like a caterpillar inching across her belly. "There it is again!"  
  
With lightning speed, she grabbed his hand and put it in the spot where she felt the movement. "Nothing," Harry murmured.  
  
Ginny was confused. "It's like they know that you are trying to feel them, so they stop."  
  
"Great," Harry sighed, "Our children hate me already." He moved his hand.  
  
Ginny started giggling again, "It feels so weird!" She noticed the glare that Harry was giving her, kind of an 'I told you so,' sort of stare. "Harry," she said, "they don't hate you!" Ginny giggled again, "I bet they are just teasing you."  
  
"So they are like Fred and George."  
  
"At least one of them is," she laughed. "I'm not sure which one, though. It's probably him."  
  
Harry became confused, "Him? Him who?"  
  
"Our baby."  
  
"How do you know that one of them is boy?" he asked.  
  
Ginny suddenly felt guilty. She knew how much Harry didn't want to know what the sex is, and she just blew it for him. "I'm so sorry Harry," she pleaded, "I cast a spell to find out, but I wasn't going to tell you."  
  
"It's alright."  
  
She still felt down about it. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah," he gave her a smile, "it's great. So? What are they going to be?"  
  
"One boy and one girl," she said happily, returning a smile.  
  
"Have you picked out names yet?"  
  
"No," she said, "I was waiting for you to wake before I picked them out." Ginny reached for his hand, "This should be something we do together."  
  
"Alright," he chirped, "how do we go about this? Do I name one and you name the other? Or how do you want to do it?"  
  
"Well," Ginny started, "I was thinking about that, and I think it would be fun if I picked our son's first name, and you picked his middle name. Then we could do the opposite for our daughter."   
  
It was very strange feeling. The phrases 'our son' and 'our daughter' made Harry's stomach do flips. "Alright," he agreed, "but I think we should write them down before we show eachother."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"So there is no second guessing," he said firmly. "That way we truly get to pick the names. Here," Harry stood and went over to Ginny's desk and grabbed two small pieces of parchment, two quills, and a bottle of ink. "We'll use these."  
  
"But Harry," Ginny voiced, "that's invisable ink, from the twin's joke shop."  
  
"I know."  
  
She became flustered, "Then why would you use it."  
  
"So we can't see," there was a pause as she looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on inside his head. "Just trust me!"  
  
Ginny took the quill that Harry was holding out to her, and the piece of parchment. "Alright. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Write his first name on that one, and I'll write her first name on this one. Then we'll switch."  
  
She shook her head. 'The things he comes up with, I swear!' Ginny thought, as she swapped papers with him. 'He's had too many encounters with the Dark Lord.'  
  
"Ok, done!" he exclaimed. Ginny nodded her completion and handed him her piece of paper. "Esposizione."***  
  
The pieces gave a slight glow as Harry whispered the spell and laid them back on the bed, one covering the other. Slowly the letter's began to appear, revealing the names that they had choosen. "Oh, Harry! You, you-"  
  
Harry was as choked up about what he saw as she was, "You, too!"  
  
"I can't believe you want to name her after my mother! Why?" she asked.  
  
"Well," he blushed, "ever since I've been in the wizarding world, your mum has always been there for me, and treated me like one of her own. She's been the only mother I've ever actually known." A tear fell from her eyes, and Harry could feel himself near weeping as well, "Why did you choose my mother's name?"  
  
Ginny didn't mind her tears, "Because, I want our children to know that they are loved. I want it to show, even in their names, so why not name her after a woman who's love over came Voldermort?"  
  
There was a moment of silence between the two. It was heart warming that they cared so much for eachother's families. "Margaret Lily Potter," Ginny said, "I like that."  
  
"Weasley-Potter."  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Weasley-Potter," he repeated, "Her name should be Margaret Lily Weasley-Potter."  
  
Ginny started giggling again, "Oh, I see."   
  
"What's so funny, Gin?" Harry wanted to know.  
  
She put her hand to her stomach. "I think 'he' wants to know what his name is going to be," she said.  
  
Harry reached for the papers, and rotated them. "Ok," he said, leaning over to read them. There was another still moment between them. This time Harry didn't try to hide his tears. "It looks like we both had the same idea," he said picking up the parchment, "James Arthur. You want to name him after my father?"  
  
"The son of a great man should have the name of one."  
  
"You don't know how much this means to me," he said, blinking away the remaining tears.  
  
Ginny dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, "If this is how we react," she laughed, "just wait until my parent find out." Letting out a slight moan, "My mother! She will never let you live this down Harry."  
  
"I think I can handle it, but," Harry said catching Ginny yawn, "you won't be able to unless you get some sleep."  
  
"I don't know if I'll be able to, the way they're moving around," she muttered, rubbing her stomach. "It's as if they don't want me to sleep."  
  
Harry placed his hand back on her belly. "Nothing."   
  
He was about to take his hand away to leave, but Ginny grabbed his wrist and held it there. "Harry? Do you think you could do me a favor?"  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Stay here," she asked, "just until I fall alseep?"  
  
There was an appearance of shock on his face. "What?"   
  
"Well," she whined, "I'm really tired, and I can't even close my eyes while they are moving around, and well, they don't while you're hand is there." Ginny flashed him a smile, and batted her eyelashes, "It'd only be until I fall asleep."  
  
Harry thought about this for a moment, well, not even. As soon as she pulled out the big guns, and gave him that smile, he couldn't help but say, "Alright."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Harry had been there, sitting on Ginny's bed, for twenty minutes now, waiting for her to fall asleep. Five minutes later, he noticed the slow, rhythmic movement of her breathing. But, he felt down about the whole situation. Ginny's plan had worked. He hadn't felt a single thing since his hand had been placed on her stomach. It was almost depressing.   
  
"You two are teasing me, aren't you?" he asked them out loud. He felt no responce, and decided to try again. 'Ginny's sleeping,' he thought, 'so I might as well.'  
  
"Well," he started, "either way, I just want you to know that I love you both." Harry was now within inches of Ginny's tummy, and was whispering. "You'll always have a family that loves you. No one will take that away from the both of you. I promise." Still nothing. "Come on! Just one little kick? I don't want to wake your mom, but could one kick hurt anything? Maggie? Jimmy?"  
  
"I like those nicknames." Ginny said, waking up. She could feel Harry freeze and tense up as she spoke.  
  
"I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized.  
  
"It's ok," she yawned, proping herself on one elbow, "but don't even think about moving that hand until I fall asleep again."  
  
Harry just nodded. He knew better than to mess with a sleep deprived Weasley.  
  
"Oh," she whispered lying back down, "Our children? They will never go through what you had to go through growing up. That is my promise."  
  
Harry felt the temperature rise in his cheeks. "You heard that?"  
  
"Um-hmm."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
It was another hour until Ginny's breathing settled back down into sleep mode. By then, Harry had just given in. Everytime he thought she was asleep, he would remove his hand and try to make for the door. But, everytime Ginny would start to wake before he made it. So, when it came down to the point of not even bothering to go back to his own room, Harry decided just to spend the night. 'Those little buggers,' he thought, 'hopefully Madame Pomfrey will be able to give her something tomorrow to calm them down.'  
  
Harry move beside her on the bed. He was at least going to be comfortable. "Goodnight," he whispered, gently kissing Ginny's stomach right beside her hand. Laying down, and closing his eyes, a smile came to his face.   
  
They kicked.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: Thanks for the great Snizzles! I've had enough of baby polls, for awhile, so here's a new challenge.   
  
***Reese's Pieces Popcorn to the snizzlers who give me the translation and the language of it.***  
  
Have fun, and thanks for all the understanding about not being able to post yesterday! The wedding was a blast! 


	28. From Top to Toe

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT: FROM TOP TO TOE  
  
Ginny spent the remainder of the night sleeping peacefully, with one of Harry's arms drapped over her side. His hand, gently resting on her large belly. They looked so peaceful, that neither Hermione or Ron could bear to wake them when they came to see how Ginny was feeling.  
  
"Let 'em sleep for a while longer. It's still quite early," Ron whispered.  
  
"They look so cute together," Hermione said in awe, "Don't they?"  
  
"That's my sister you're talking about."  
  
Hermione just playfully slapped him on the shoulder as he closed the door, "Get over it."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
By the time Ginny's eyes fluttered open, the sun was shining into her room. Glancing around, she was lying in her own bed, but someone was with her. She could feel the pressure on her side. Add that to the pressure of the twins, and she was really in need of a bathroom. Softly she lifted Harry's arm and replaced herself with a few pillows. 'He's to cute to wake,' she thought as she tip-toed to the bathroom.   
  
When she returned, Ginny was surprised to see that he was still there, sound asleep. It was almost as if he was happier with the pillows than herself. She was close to be disappointed, until she felt her babies, flipping and turning inside her. No matter how it felt physically, the movement inside her was enough to fill her with pure joy. And, seeing that Harry was willing to break the rules to make sure that she could sleep, made up for everything else.   
  
A small smirk rose on her face as a thought popped into her mind. Picking up her wand from the bedside table, she set her plan in motion. "Accio pillows," she whispered, catching them as they flew towards her. Ginny just stood there and waited for the perfect moment to attack. Creeping to the other side of the bed, she raised the pillow abover her head.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry asked confused. "Ginny!" At the second call he started to feel around the bed. He still hadn't opened his eyes, but when he did, he became more worried than ever. Luckily, she was facing the sun, so there wasn't a shadow to give away her posistion. When he was about to turn around, she struck.   
  
"What in the-" Harry yelled, as feathers softly feel around him. As he turned, she could see the embarassment in his face.  
  
"Morning!" Ginny chirped, hitting him with the other pillow.  
  
More feathers fluttered around the room. Quickly Harry pulled a pillow off the bed from behind him. Keeping his arm extended, holding it ready to strike, he turned to face Ginny, who was giggling uncontrolably.   
  
"Ah!" she warned, raising a hand to stop him, "You wouldn't hit a pregnant woman, now would you?" Harry lowered his arm and laid the pillow down on the bed. He worn a look of defeat as he sat down. "That's what I thought," she said, giving a slight nod. But, before she could run, Harry ripped open the pillow he was holding before, and flung it's contents over and around Ginny.   
  
She just flinched and screamed playfully when she saw him grab the pillow again. It looked as if it were snowing, even though it was near the end of April. It was a break from reality on every aspect of the phrase. When Harry was sure that every last feather had fallen out of the pillow, he swooped down and gathered more to throw at Ginny. She did the same, as their feather fight continued.  
  
They were both having so much fun, laughing and acting like the kids they were. Neither of them could breathe, as they were both gasping for air between fits of giggles. As Ginny threw a fist full of feathers into the air, and Harry did the same. It was a magical moment as their hands became locked together.  
  
Time stopped, stood still. Every piece of fluff that had been thrown, only moments ago, hung on the air. There was a sort of electricity in the room, heating everything in sight. Ginny could feel the raw energy flowing through her body, into Harry's and back into herself. Her hand was becoming warmer by the second, and she 'burned' with desire. She thought, that if she held onto him, his hand, any longer, she would be left with a charred stub.   
  
Harry obviously felt the same passion flowing through his veins. He loosened his grip on her hand and let it drift away. But, the circut had been cut off, and the energy that was there, was gone. He missed it despirately. Doing the only thing he could think of to regain that feeling, he sped up time, almost lunging at her with lust. (Even though there were less than a few feet between them.)   
  
An instant connection. The temperature spiked up and she jumped at the sudden movement. Ginny tensed at the feel of his lips attached to hers, surprised that he was making this move. When she felt his hand trace a trail up from the small of her back and rest on the back of her neck, she blushed from top to toe. The feelings were sensational. 'I don't ever want this to end,' she thought, returning the gesture. There was pure yearning that coursed through them.   
  
They could have stayed their forever. They would have, too. Until time regained it's speed with a vengance, and took away their precious moment. The feathers, that had once frozen in the air, know crashed to the floor sounding like shards of glass. Around them, the noise of shrill screams could be heard.  
  
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE DOING?"  
  
There was a woman standing in the now open doorway, completely outraged at what she was seeing. Behind her, appeared Hermione and Ron, shocked at what was going on. Now, Ginny wasn't the only one blushing. She noticed that Harry was now as ripe as a tomato. "Good Morning, Professor McGonagall..." Ginny feigned.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: I had to add a little 'FLUFF' to the story, literally (the feathers). Since Ron and Hermione don't really appear 'together' in too many of the scenes lately (and they are my Romantic couple), I thought a little snogging between Harry and Ginny was necessary. How can you pass up a moment like that? Especially since you can use magic to clean up all the feathers. :P  
  
OKAY! New title to give out here.  
  
MUST READ AUTHUR of the WEEK:   
  
-----[RonandHerm4eva]-----  
  
You wanna talk about cliff hangers? Try reading these stories, and having your Internet connection FREEZE at the end of chapter 17 of the story "Love Will Find A Way," which is right after something HUGE happens in the story. Now that is a CLIFF HANGER!!!! Knowing that the rest of the story is just SITTING THERE....and you CAN'T get to it. Very depressing. But amazing writing. [BTW: Don't read that story without reading the one that comes before it, "The Other Side of Hermione."]  
  
ANYWAYS!!!! Thanks to all of your sNiZzLiNg support! But, now I've gotta give props to [HPFanFicLuvr] and [Evo422] for knowing that ESPOSIZIONE is ITALIAN for Show/Expose. AWESOME JOB! Caramel Apples to the both of you. And, SPECIAL RECOGNITION (meaning Hot Fudge Sundaes) to [Plaidly Lush] for being my 300TH SNIZZLER! (by my count) It seems like just yesterday that I was naming my 200th Snizzler. Thanks so much for all of it! DON'T FORGET TO SNIZZLE! 


	29. Fears

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: FEARS  
  
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE DOING?"  
  
There was a woman standing in the now open doorway, completely outraged at what she was seeing. Behind her, appeared Hermione and Ron, shocked at what was going on. Now, Ginny wasn't the only one blushed, as she was sure Harry was as well. "Good Morning, Professor McGonagall..." Ginny feigned.  
  
"Seems like some of us are having a better morning," the woman lectured, "than others." Looking around the room, and then back at the two of them she spoke, "I had heard that you were feeling, well...under the weather last night. So I decided to come and check on you this morning." There was hint of disappointment as she continued to speak, "Honestly, I would have thought better from the two of you. Spending the night together? I hate to do this, but rules are rules. Five points, each, from Gryffendor."  
  
"But Professor!" Harry exclaimed.  
  
Professor McGonagall was heading for the door, but stopped when she heard Harry trying to fight her decision. "No buts! Now I expect this mess to be cleaned, and to see both of you at breakfast."   
  
When she was gone, and the door had been securely closed, Ron decided now was the perfect time to get his answers. "Your lucky, Potter, that I've stopped jumping to conclusions. But, you better have a damn good explaination for all of- this."  
  
"Oh, lay off Ron," Ginny muttered.  
  
Hermione pulled out her wand and cleaned up the room. "Seriously, Ron, can you ever just be happy for your sister?"  
  
He didn't know what to say. Of course he was happy for Ginny. Anything that made her happy was ok by him, but he was raised to protect her. All of the others were older when she was born, but he had always had her to look out for. Fred and George, being only a couple of years older, did have to watch out for her, too. But they always found humor in what was going on. Ron? He always jumped to over-protective mode.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered turning to Harry, "You know I don't really mean to come off like that, right mate?"   
  
"I know," Harry smiled, "but, what are you two doing here?"  
  
"We could ask the same to you, Harry," Hermione giggled.  
  
"No," he laughed, "I mean, it's nearly breakfast. I'm surprised Ron hasn't made his way to the Great Hall yet."  
  
"Well," Ron started, "I wanted to, but Hermione said she'd charm me if I didn't come with her. Not that I needed her to black mail me to get me here."  
  
"Sure," Ginny sighed.  
  
"What's wrong Gin?" Harry asked.  
  
"I have to take my potions."  
  
"What's wrong with that? I thought you liked taking them," Hermione said.  
  
"Well," she murmured, "I just realized that taking them means that all of the 'feelings' of being pregnant will be gone."  
  
Ron became confused, "Didn't you say that was the best part?"   
  
"Yeah," Ginny whispered, "But I'm just going to feel so alone."  
  
"Alone?"  
  
She couldn't hide it anymore, the fact that she wouldn't be able to feel her babies move anymore scared her. "Without them."  
  
"Without who? Your twins?"  
  
"Yeah," she cried. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she put her head in her hands. When   
  
Harry came beside her, and wrapped his arms around her, it made her cry even harder.  
  
"Ginny," he soothed, "it'll only be until after dinner. Besides, I thought you wanted them to stop moving around? Especially since they kept you from sleeping for so long."  
  
"Wait," Hermione interrupted, "You can 'feel' them?"  
  
"Yeah," Ginny said happily, drying her tears, "They started kicking last night." She smiled, "They still are. Do you wanna feel?" Hermione came rushing over, offering her hand to Ginny, who took it immediately. "Right here," Ginny said as she placed her friend's hand on her stomach. "Ron? Do you want to feel it?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know-," he muttered.  
  
Harry cut him off, "It's the most amazing thing to feel."  
  
Ginny became shocked, "When did you feel them?"  
  
"Last night, right before I fell asleep."  
  
Ron, as usual, was confused, "What do you mean? I mean, you've been here the whole time! Why wouldn't you have felt them kick?"  
  
Harry joked with him, "Because they hate me."  
  
"Harry," Ginny groaned, "they do not hate you."  
  
"Why would you think that?" Hermione asked, finally removing her hand from Ginny's stomach to fetch Ron.  
  
"Because every time I place my hand on her stomach to feel them, they stop."  
  
Hermione giggled, "That could just be a coincidence, Harry."  
  
"No," Ginny firmly said, "It's whenever he touches my belly. That's how I fell asleep last night. I had him keep his hand there."  
  
There were snickers from both Ron and Hermione, "Well, looks like they are like Fred and George," Ron had a smug smile on his face as he felt his niece and nephew. "Little pranksters, before they are even born. You should consider naming them Fred and George."  
  
"Have you decided on names yet?" Hermione asked.  
  
"We picked them last night," Harry answered.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Mum's gonna flip when she hears them."  
  
"Then you decided on Ron?"  
  
She said the same thing that she said the last time her brother asked her that, "NO."  
  
"Well what then?" he asked impatiently.  
  
"Margaret Lily-" Ginny announced, but was interrupted by Harry.  
  
"Maggie."  
  
"AND," she said, rolling her eyes at Harry, "James Arthur."  
  
"Jimmy," Harry mentioned, smiling proudly. "I nicknamed them last night."  
  
"We should get to breakfast, before McGonagall decides to come and check on us."  
  
"Right," Ginny remembered the threat that she and Harry had recieved just minutes before. Going to her wardrobe, she pulled out her uniform and robes.  
  
"Umm, Ginny?" Harry asked her, "Aren't you forgetting something?"   
  
She was a bit confused at his question, but realized what he meant when she followed his pointed finger to her stomach. "Oh."  
  
There was a grumble in the room apparently coming from Ron's stomach. "Ron, Hermione?" Harry started, "Why don't you head on down and we'll meet you there in a minute?"  
  
"Alright," Ron said, eager for food, "But don't take too long. I don't want to have to answer any questions from McGonagall for you two-"  
  
Hermione cuffed him in the arm, "Don't worry," she reassured them, pulling Ron to the door, "we'll cover for you. Take your time."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
When the door clicked shut, Ginny went to her desk and opened the bottom drawer. Sadly, she pulled out two vials. Grabbing up her clothes, she moved into the bathroom. When she was dressed, Harry noticed that she still had a belly and a sad look in her eyes. He was going to comment on it, but she beat him to the punch.  
  
"I'm afraid that if I take it, that they won't come back."  
  
"They will. But, if you don't take that potion, they could be taken."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: Hey Snizzlers! I'm pretty excited right now! I go for my license tomorrow! YAY! I'm pretty confident that I'll get it. I'll let you all know either way. Hope you like the chapter, but just a warning...however I do tomorrow will determine what happens in the chapter. I write based on my mood a lot of times...Most likely, if I get it, there will be fluff. I don't know. I'll just have to see how it goes. Another thing, just so you know, I start school in exactly ONE WEEK. I don't know yet how that will effect my writing, but I guess we'll just see how it goes. I will have a study hall (Yes!) So, if I get merit privilages, I will spend my free time in the Computer Lab typing. Other wise, I will just have to pull double time on homework and then write. If you have any ideas on how to better my schedule, tell me. TTYL! SNIZZLE. 


	30. Bad Moments

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY: BAD MOMENTS  
  
"I'm afraid that if I take it, that they won't come back."  
  
"They will. But, if you don't take that potion, they could be taken."  
  
Ginny started to cry, "I'm sorry! It's just all these damn worries and emotions. I can't help but cry."  
  
"It's alright," Harry whispered, "I understand. You're under a lot of stress right now, and there is nothing wrong with crying."  
  
"But what if-"  
  
"No."  
  
She tried again, "But what happens when-"  
  
"No."  
  
"But how can we be sure th-"  
  
Harry backed away from her. "No buts!" he mocked Professor McGonagall, "Now you will take your potions, or I will call Madame Pomfrey." Ginny didn't seem too phased by his comment, so he added another name to the list. "Then, I will stop by your mother's office and let her know what's going on."  
  
Shock crossed Ginny's face, "You wouldn't!"  
  
"You can bet your life that I would. I will not let your insecurities keep me from protecting 'my' children."  
  
Ginny was slightly taken aback by his tone. There was never a single moment, during this whole thing, where Harry raised his voice to her. Sure, there had been moments in previous years, when he was under a lot of stress, but he always apologized immediately. It had been nearly a minute, with Ginny starring at him, without a single apology. "Your children Harry?" she finally asked him. "Your children? Since when did you become a single parent?"  
  
"Ginny, I didn't mean it like-"   
  
"NO. You meant it exactly like that."  
  
Harry sighed, he had meant it the way he had said it, he just didn't mean to say it. "I'm sorry Ginny."  
  
She wasn't going to back down. "No. Don't be sorry because you finally told me how you really felt. I should be telling you that I am sorry. Sorry for becoming an unfit mother. I can't help the way that I feel," she yelled, "and I can't help worrying that something is going to go wrong, because you know what?" she asked him, "Something always does."  
  
"Ginny-"  
  
"Get out."  
  
"But-"  
  
Now it was Ginny's turn to give him directions, "No buts."  
  
He just stood there. What was he supposed to do? Everything had went from great to okay to horrible in nothing but a few minutes. They had just shared their first kiss, and now they were fighting? So many options, but no clear answer.  
  
"Didn't you hear me?" she demanded? "GET OUT."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Harry slowly made his way down to breakfast. 'What have I done?' he asked himself. There was no answer. His brain was still in shock. As he entered the Great Hall he looked for Hermione and Ron. 'Maybe they can straighten things out,' he hoped.   
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked, "Where's Ginny?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"What do you mean," Ron started, his mouth full of food, "I thought you two were going to come down together?"  
  
"We were planning on it."  
  
Hermione nudged him on, "But-"  
  
"We got into a fight."  
  
Ron swallowed what he was talking over, "What about?"  
  
"It's complicated."  
  
There was no stopping Ron. He had finished he meal, and was now ready for what the day brought him. This was just first on his list of things to do. "So what's new? Did you say something to her?"  
  
Harry was taken back by what he said, "Why do you assume that this is my fault?"  
  
"Look," Ron said, "I know my sister has a temper, and I know that with- what's going on, that she is very emotional, but she wouldn't delibriately pick a fight with you. There had to have been a reason."  
  
"Well," Harry murmured, "I was being over protective, and said that 'they' were mine."  
  
"Harry! You know how worried she is about 'them.' It's not like she would do something to endanger 'them.'"  
  
"She was trying to get out of taking her potions!"  
  
"That doesn't mean that she doesn't care about the twi-"  
  
"Hermione, Harry!" Ron warned them, "Keep your voices down."  
  
"I know that I shouldn't have said what I did, but what am I going to do about it?" Harry asked.  
  
"Apologize."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, "I've tried. She won't let me get in two words."  
  
Hermione was becoming frustrated, "Then try again. When life gives you lemons, make lemonaid."  
  
"What does juice have to do with any of this, 'Moine?" Ron asked.  
  
"It's a muggle saying, Ron," Hermione said. "It means that you have to make the best of what you get in life."  
  
"Either way," he said, "You need to tell Madame Pomfrey that Ginny doesn't want to take her potions. In the mean time, I will talk to her, and see if I can get her to at least hear you out."  
  
"Thanks Ron," Harry stood and headed towards the Hospital Wing.  
  
"What are friends for?" Ron muttered, grabbing some toast and leaving as well.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Ginny?" Ron whispered, entering the private room. Looking around, it seemed as it was before. Except for two details. There was a stain on the floor, a mixture a blue and red. Shards of glass strewn around it. The second difference, what that Ginny was no longer the giddy teenaged girl she was before. Now, she laid on her bed, soaking her sheets (she didn't have any pillows left) with her tears.  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: WOW! Chapter 30!!!!! I'm excited. This is a milestone, especially since THREE is my lucky number. You don't know how encouraging it was to wake up this morning (after posting 7 hours before) and find that I had 333 snizzles. And my chapter had 1333 words. It was a sign that I would be getting my license, and GUESS WHAT! ~~~I DID!!!~~~ But, I need to thank [Prue] with Thin Mints (yummy!) for being a part my good omen (she was the 333th snizzler).   
  
I'm sorry for the short chapter, but I'm tired. It's been an exciting day. I know, that my story has gone baby-centric, but that's the way the story goes. It was planned since the begining that Ginny would be pregnant, and I'm not going to cut out any of the major milestones along the way. I just can't do that, but HOPEFULLY you will forgive me. Trust me, the story will return to it's plot thickening self, soon enough. Please just stick with it. I'm Begging ya!  
  
Oh, ya. I'm glad you all liked my nicknames. Margaret and James are nice for being yelled at, but Maggie and Jimmy sound so much cuter. And, by the way, Margaret is the long version of Molly. (Some of you were commenting.) That's all for now! ~SNIZZLE~ 


	31. Like Good Ol' Days

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE: LIKE GOOD OL' DAYS  
  
"Ginny?" Ron whispered, entering the private room. Looking around, it seemed as it was before. Except for two details. There was a stain on the floor, a mixture a blue and red. Shards of glass strewn around it. The second difference, what that Ginny was no longer the giddy teenaged girl she was before. Now, she laid on her bed, soaking her sheets (she didn't have any pillows left) with her tears.  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE."  
  
"Ginny? What's on the floor?"  
  
"Please," she whimpered, turning over to glare at him, "just go. I want to be alone."  
  
"Well," Ron said, "that's too bad. Because I want to stay, and I'm older." He stuck his tounge out at her.  
  
"You don't get it, do you?"  
  
"What is there to get?" he asked, "You don't want to take your potions, Harry wants you to." Ron moved towards the bed and laughed at himself, "It all seems quite simple to me."  
  
"Simple for you," she placed her hands on her stomach, "but you, Harry, Hermione, none of you seem to get it. Nobody bloody understands."  
  
"That's not true-"  
  
"Ron, it is, and you know it. I just wish everyone would stop patronizing me! Especially you."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You used to be the one person I could count on to be there, be honest."  
  
Ron was becoming confused (as usual). "When haven't I been there for you?"  
  
"You haven't been there for me since you meet Harry and Hermione. YOU Haven't Bloody Been There For Me Since You Came To Hogwarts."  
  
"Ginny! I can't believe you're saying this." Ron sat down on the bed next to her, "Will you listen to what you're saying! Bloody Hell, Gin. I haven't always been accepting towards what you've done, or things that have happened, but I have always been there."  
  
"Then why do I feel completely alone in this whole mess?"  
  
What was he supposed to say to a hormornal pregnant teenage girl? "Ginny, you're right. I haven't always been there for you, and I don't get it. But I'm here now, and I'm willing to listen. Why won't you let me help you?"  
  
Ginny kept her gaze at the clouds passing by the window. "Everyone keeps trying to make this so easy for me. I'm given potions to take so that I feel normal. I'm put in my own room so everyone thinks that I'm still normal. I am not normal! THIS IS NOT NORMAL!"   
  
Ron, although he was being screamed at, was unusally calm. "I'm guessing there's more?"  
  
"You bet there is. I'm sick of being patronized. I'm tired of all of the special treatment, I just want to be me again."  
  
"Finished?"  
  
"No." There were fresh tears in her eyes, "The one thing that I want back the most is my friendship with Harry."  
  
"You mean you don't like the feather fights, and snogging?" Ron joked.  
  
"Yes- No. I don't know!" she exclaimed, "It's just to him, I'm only 'the mother of HIS children."  
  
"You know that's not true!"  
  
"Do I Ron? How can I be sure?"  
  
Ron sighed, "You need to stop worring, and trust that everything is going to be okay."  
  
"How?" Ginny couldn't hold back any more, "How do I not worry? I'm only fifteen, and in four and a half months I'm going to be the mother of twins. People are being taken off the street and tortured-"  
  
"Where did you hear about that?"  
  
"Do you think I'm daft? Of course I found out. I know about all of the recent kidnappings. Innocent couples being taken, and only one of them returns?" Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother, "You all can't keep the truth from me forever."  
  
"We are only trying to make this as easy as possible for you."  
  
"Good would be letting me know that I'm not the only one going through this. My children are at risk of being Voldermort's new experiment!"  
  
"We would never let that happen!"  
  
"How many times has something happened at this school that involved Voldermort?"  
  
Ron didn't want to answer, but he had no choice. Lying would only upset Ginny more. "Almost every year."  
  
"And what makes the situtation any different when Maggie and James are born?"  
  
'She already knows the truth, why deny her it from me?' Ron thought. "Look Ginny, there is no point in dening anything anymore, if you play along with what everyone is telling you, I'll keep you informed on what is going on outside of school."  
  
"Why is it so important that I take those bloody potions?"  
  
It was Ron's turn to roll his eyes, "The less people who know what is going on with you," he said, "the less chance of your children being taken away."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"What was that Ginny?"  
  
She cross her arms, making her look like she was six years old again and being forced to eat her vegetables, "I said FINE."  
  
"Good," Ron snickered, "Now where do you keep your potions. You can't take the ones on the floor."  
  
A smile slowly crossed Ginny's face as she pointed to the drawer in her desk where she kept the potions. "You know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"This is just like when we were little."  
  
Ron took the post of being confused, yet again, as he gave her the potions to take, "How so?"  
  
"Well," Ginny started, "when we were little, when ever I was mad about something, you would always come up to my room-"  
  
"With chocolate."  
  
She sighed, "Yeah. Life was good back then."  
  
"Life is good now."  
  
"How did you become so good at this whole comforting thing?" Ginny asked, completely perplexed. "You don't even have any sort of comfort food with you."  
  
Ron took the toast out from his pocket, and unwrapped it. "You doubt me?"  
  
Ginny leaped forward and snatched the food from his hands, "I never will again," she mocked, eating her breakfast.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!  
  
There was a big storm that went through last night, and I couldn't get onto the computer at all. Trust me, I'm just as mad as any of you. Sorry again. I haven't decided what to do about posting when school starts. I think, mostlikly, I'll be switching to an every-other-day posting schedule. That gives me plenty of time to write, and all of the other students out there, time to get things done as well. Hope you don't mind. But, I thought that we all needed a touching 'family' moment in this chapter. Like? SNIZZLE!!! 


	32. Serious Reflections

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO: SERIOIUS REFLECTIONS  
  
'Everything will be okay,' Harry thought to himself as he nervously made his way to the Hospital Wing, "Ron will take care of it.' The tone in his thoughts switched from anxious to malice. 'I should be taking care of it, not Ron. I need to start taking better care of them.' There was so much going on inside his head, that he didn't realize that he hadn't taken a right at the last corridor. 'That's the kind of thinking that got you into this mess, Harry.' He didn't take that right, or the left before it. 'Caring only about them instead of about her. Your friends won't always be there to clean up your messes. If you truely cared about her, then you wouldn't be in this situation. You need to start showing her how you f-'   
  
"Where am I?" he asked himself, looking at his new, and unfamiliar surroundings. Wondering what made him snap back to reality, he realized that he had just walked directly into a portrait. "How did I get here?" Completely confused, he turned back the way he came and started recapping the way he came. Not paying attention, again, he ran into another portrait. "What? What happend to the corridor that was just here?" Spinning the other direction, Harry felt a sudden pang of fear. There was no way out. "Where's the map when I need it."  
  
Hand-by-hand, he walked the small room, feeling for a way out. As he moved, the room seemed to increase in size, but slowly enough that Harry didn't notice the change until he walked back into the center of the now large room. It wasn't shaped like the hallway he had entered. The room was now square and had taken on a new color. There were candles floating over-head that lit instantly, filling the room with a brightness. Glancing towards them, there was an added swirl to the glows and hues of the room.  
  
The light shimmered off the glistening walls, that now had a wet look to them. Soft moans sent shivers through air, as shadows crept across the farthest edges of the room. There was something about the appearance of the room that was familiar.   
  
There was a creepy tone to the situation. The room seem to be constantly changing. If Harry watched the walls, he could see the fluttering images crossing the limit-less depths. 'This room,' he thought, 'there is something strange going on here.' He wanted answers to all the concerns that were threatening his nerves. There was no one to answer them, though. No one, except-   
  
"Where am I?" he asked the walls. Oddly enough, he expected a responce, and waited for it. "I'm going crazy. Expecting the walls to answer," he retorted, "looney." As he finished his self-mocking, the walls, that weren't expected to answer, did. There was an added brightness to the candles over-head. Three of the walls had become transparent, while one remained black. But there wasn't anything behind the walls. Just a shimmer.  
  
A voice could be heard urging the quiet murmurs, that were once moans, over the edge. The voices, Harry realized, both belonged to the same person, yet they were so different. One was innocent, caring and rational, while the other was harsh and overbearing. It seemed like the true battle of good verses evil. But good was loosing ground. While the evil was gaining strength in voice, the good was reduced to a whisper.  
  
The voice began speaking again."He will never love you."  
  
"You're lying," the other whispered.  
  
"You know what I'm saying is true."  
  
"I'm not going to believe you."  
  
"Why are you fighting me so much?"   
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Do you think that you actually care for him? You only love the fame."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"The glory.   
  
"No. I love him."  
  
"The adventure and the danger."  
  
"I won't believe you."  
  
"The scar."  
  
"No no no no no no no."  
  
"STOP!" Harry yelled, pained by the hurt that the voice was causing the whisper.  
  
But it continued, "You will never be anymore to him than you already are, a devoted fan. His best friend's little sister."  
  
"No."  
  
"Just an incubator."  
  
"No."  
  
"He'll leave you once 'they' are gone." The voice now boomed and echoed throughout the once silent room.   
  
The innocent voice was almost completely gone, but was still able to be heard by Harry. "I'll never let them go."  
  
"They'll leave you for him. How could they ever want to stay with you, when they have him?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"You will never see your children. They will grow up, never even knowing that you exist, and he will move on."  
  
It seemed as if the second, weaker voice was gone.  
  
"Face it Ginny," the victor voice said, "Harry Potter will never love you. Get over it, and take your potions."  
  
There was the sound of shattering glass as the room blinked and returned to its previous state, before there were voices. "Ginny?" Now all that could be seen were the candles floating over-head. "What is this place! Why am I here!" There was a new rage forming in Harry's voice. Now, once it was clearly stated, he understood the entire converstation that was going on. He knew that both voices belonged to Ginny Weasley. There wasn't a doubt. "I need to get out of here!" Harry was demanding things of the room. 'It worked before,' he thought, 'maybe that's all I need to do to get out of here. Ask.'  
  
"Please," he pleaded, "how do I get out of here?"  
  
"Until the truth you seek is seen, you will remain mere memory."  
  
"What the-" a deep voice filled the room, catching Harry completely off guard. "I was only expecting a door. What does that mean?" he asked.  
  
The deep voice suddenly became a whine, "What, do I have to spell it out for you?" it asked. Harry just stood looking at the ceiling. "I'm over here."  
  
Turning, the portrait that was originally on the wall when he entered the hall, had returned, revealing a very prissy man. "Who are you?"  
  
"Colonel William Curtis," the man said, "but you can just call me Curtis. I'm the guide of the Reflection Room."  
  
"The 'Reflection Room,'" Harry asked, "I've never heard of it."  
  
The portrait sighed, "Not many have. Pity, it gets dreadfully lonely down here."  
  
"How did I get here?"  
  
"By being lost," Curtis joked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You were lost in thought," he stated, "am I right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Unsure of what to do?" he asked.  
  
"Well," Harry said, "yes."  
  
"Not certain about people around you?"  
  
"Ye- How do you know all of this?"  
  
"Because," Curtis laughted, "it is the only way that you can find yourself here."  
  
"Then how do I leave?"  
  
A sigh escaped from the man, "Until the truth you seek is seen, you will remain mere memory."  
  
"I still don't get it!"  
  
"Alright," Curtis spat, "Let's take it step by step, shall we?" Harry nodded. "'Until the truth you seek is seen' means that you can't leave until you discover the truth about what you were questioning before you got here." He nodded again. "'You will remain mere memory,' meaning-"  
  
"That people won't be able to find me, or see me, only think about me!" Harry gasped, cutting Curtis off, and finally realizing what the riddle meant.  
  
"So," Curtis asked, "What was the question?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ron was amazed at how much his sister was alike him. Even before she was pregnant, Ginny had a larger than normal appetite. Laughing, he remembered the other half of what upset Ginny so much. "Harry."  
  
"What about him?" she mumbled, engrossed with her food.  
  
"I'm surprised he's not here yet," he said, "he rushed off to the hosptial wing to get Madame Pomfrey. The way he was going, he should have been here at least ten minutes ago."  
  
"Where could he be?" Ginny asked him, but quietly told herself, 'I guess he really doesn't care about me.'  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: If you haven't guessed it yet, I have begun the 48-hour posting mode. (One day delayed, family matters.) I have noticed that I have been cutting my chapters short, but a lot of times, when that happens, I go by content, not length. (When you add authors notes, you can't depend on a word count.) But, I will be trying my hardest to extend the lengths of my chapters. Keep up the good comments, SNIZZLE! 


	33. Closing In

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE: CLOSING IN  
  
"I guess he really doesn't care about me."  
  
"Who was that?" Harry asked.  
  
Curtis rolled his eyes, "You really do need things spelled out for you, don't you?"  
  
"I can't help it," Harry said, "if this whole thing confuses me."  
  
"That," Curtis pointed out, "is the voice of truth."  
  
"Who's Truth?" Harry joked, "I'm just kidding."  
  
"There isn't time for games, boy," he boomed, sounding like Vernon Dursley, "if you don't figure this out, I can't let you go. How long do you really think you can last in here?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'last?'"  
  
"Go, without food or water-"  
  
Harry became disturbed at what the painting was telling him, "You would leave me here to die?"  
  
"I can't let you out until you come to a true conclusion."  
  
"Curtis, come on now. Help me out, literally!"  
  
"I can't."  
  
Worry crossed Harry's mind, but panic settled in sooner. "I can't die down here. Not without anyone knowing where I am, or what happened. What about my friends?"  
  
"There is nothing I can do."  
  
"Surely Curtis," Harry pleaded, "surely someone can come and find me."  
  
The man sighed, "You don't understand. If anyone ventures down this hall way, they will see nothing but my portrait hanging. Even if somehow they knew exactly where you were standing, they couldn't reach you."  
  
"But-"  
  
"You need to concentrate on the problem, not the possible out come."  
  
"If you know so much," Harry retorted, "Then why don't you-"  
  
"I've already told you too much. Just use what I've already told you."  
  
"PLEASE!"  
  
There was no more debating the topic. Curtis was tired of it. "Go figure, the first time in twenty seven years that I get a visitor, he annoys me to the point of leaving," he said, walking beyond the frame and leaving Harry completely alone.  
  
"Great," Harry sighed, "what happens when I don't remember what he said?" There was another sigh as he slouched against the wall. "I'm doomed. I am going to die. I can see the headlines now: Harry Potter, died while locked in room." Harry paced the length of the walls. Back and forth, round and about. There was no use. He couldn't remember anything that Curtis had told him, "except for that stupid rhyme," he murmured, "now how did that go?"   
  
He didn't remember. "Alright, I don't remember the rhyme either, but that's okay. I just have to remember what I was thinking about to get me here." Harry was drawing a blank. "Think. Think. Think," he muttered. "There were those voices....Ginny!"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Ron," Ginny finally asked after mentally abusing herself (again), "Where do you think Harry is?"  
  
"I don't know," he smirked, "maybe he got lost."  
  
"On the way to the Hospital Wing?"  
  
He started to laugh, "You never know what could happen to him."  
  
"Come on Ron," she pleaded, "this is serious. Unless you are telling me that Harry doesn't care about me ('Please don't answer that!'), something is wrong."  
  
"Why does something always have to be wrong?"  
  
"Because," Ginny said, "when Harry Potter is involved, something always is."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
There was another soft voice in the room. "Please don't answer that!"  
  
"That's it!" Harry shouted, "Ginny. I was thinking about Ginny!" Trying not to lose his train of thought he consentrated on what Curtis had said the last time that he had heard her speak.   
  
"'I guess he really doesn't care about me,'" Harry thought out loud, mimicking Ginny from earlier, "and Curtis said that it was the voice of truth." Pacing the room in his already indented pathway, he continued to do his thinking aloud. "Truth, as in... what sent me here, but what truth? If I could only remember what I was thinking about! Umm....Okay Harry, let's take this one step at a time. The voice was Ginny, so that means the 'he' she was talking about must have been me."  
  
Harry gulped, "She thinks that I don't care about her," he hesitated, "Do I?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
There was a pause between the two sibilings. "Ron?" Ginny asked, "Does Harry care about me?"  
  
"What-"  
  
"It's not brain surgery Ron," she retorted, "Does. Harry. Care. About. Me?"  
  
"Ummm," Ron groaned, feeling very uncomfortable, "I don't know."   
  
Her face dropped. 'It's lose/lose. If Ron says that he does care, he could be lying just to get me to drop the subject, but on the other hand, he could be lying to me now, trying not to hurt me. Especially since he promised that he would be straight forward with me. I wish I could just ask Harry, " Ginny thought, but quietly laughted to herself. For her brother's nervousness in the question, and for the answer that she knew she would get from Harry if she were to ask him about his feelings. 'I could see it now, 'Of course I care about you. You're the mother of my children.' Not a no, and definately not the yes that I'm looking for.'  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Harry heard Ginny's voice again, "What? How can she think that I don't care about her. I've always cared, she never had to be the mother of my children!"  
  
There was a loud 'clank' in the room, that came from behind the walls. As Harry turned towards it, he noticed that the wall that was before the entrance to the hallway, was now moving. He would have been estatic if it was giving him an exit, but unfortunately, it wasn't. It was moving towards him. As he turned back to the empty portrait, that was was now closing in on him as well. All of them were, at a fairly stead pace.  
  
"No! I need more time!"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N:  
  
Krazy Kats! Sorry about not posting....Hectic times! One, I've been booted from the office/computer room at home and had to wait until my parents left the house. So, all in all I haven't been able to post. It sucks, I know, because it also keeps me from writing and reading. I hate not being able to post as much as you. But, once I'm back in, I will be back to every-other-day. School isn't hectic enough to keep me from posting....I had a math test second day, but after that it was cake. SNIZZLE!! 


	34. Thinking Over

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR: THINKING OVER  
  
There was a pause between the two sibilings. "Ron?" Ginny asked, "Does Harry care about me?"  
  
"What-"  
  
"It's not brain surgery Ron," she retorted, "Does. Harry. Care. About. Me?"  
  
"Ummm," Ron groaned, feeling very uncomfortable, "I don't know."   
  
Her face dropped. 'It's lose/lose. If Ron says that he does care, he could be lying just to get me to drop the subject, but on the other hand, he could be lying to me now, trying not to hurt me. Especially since he promised that he would be straight forward with me. I wish I could just ask Harry, " Ginny thought, but quietly laughted to herself. For her brother's nervousness in the question, and for the answer that she knew she would get from Harry if she were to ask him about his feelings. 'I could see it now, 'Of course I care about you. You're the mother of my children.' Not a no, and definately not the yes that I'm looking for.'  
  
"Ginny," Ron asked, concerned with how deep in thought she was, "why the sudden intrest in Harry? I thought you were over him?" He handed her two new potions from her desk.  
  
Ginny inwardly sighed, "Ron, when you ever learn that first loves never die?"  
  
"I don't-"  
  
"The same way that you will always love Hermione," she started, "don't even try to deny it, you love her and no matter what happens, you will always love her, if not for the simple reason that she was your first love." Ron gave his usual look of confusion, and noticing it, Ginny elaborated, "Every girl after Hermione, if there are more after her, will be compared to her. You will always try to see if the next her is a pretty, or smart, or caring, or what ever. It's what we do to see if this one is better than the last, or the first." There was another heavy sigh, "No matter what I try to do to deny it, I still love Harry. In my eyes," she smiled, rubbing her belly for the last time that morning, "I will never love anyone else." With that said, she downed the potions.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ron was amazed with the amount of information that his sister was willing to tell him that morning. Much if it, he wished that she had kept to herself, but as long as he had her trust, he would allow her to unload her burdens upon him. The stress she was under, was huge. Being pregnant, and only fifteen, was hard. When Ron met up with Hermione before their herbology lesson, he gave her a weak smile, and continued to work out minor details in his head.  
  
"So," Hermione pressed, "how did it go?"  
  
"Hmm?" he muttered, "Oh, well she took her potion."  
  
"And-"  
  
"And nothing."  
  
"You mean, that during the twenty minutes you were with her, she didn't tell you anything."  
  
Ron realized that Hermione wanted the dirt about what was going on with his sister and Harry, but he wouldn't let Hermione get it out of him. "Oh, well it's nothing that you don't already know."  
  
"Well," she demanded, "then tell me."  
  
"I'm sorry 'Mione," he stated, "but I can't." Noticing the pleading look that she was giving him, he explained, "If she wants you to know, then she'll tell you. But, I'm not going to let something slip out. She trusts me."  
  
"But Ron!" Hermione whined.  
  
"No."  
  
Hermione gave a little huff, stamping her foot against the ground in defeat, but Ron saw past her look of hate. He saw how much she appreciated being left out of the loop. 'I've got to give him his dues,' she thought, 'for not betraying her trust.'  
  
"Oh," Ron realized, remembering something that he could mention to Hermione, "have you seen Harry since he ran off to the Hospital Wing at breakfast?"  
  
She thought for a moment, scanning her mind of all of the male faces she had seen since breakfast, "No," she said, finishing her search, "I don't think I have. He's probably waiting to hear from you in the Green House."   
  
"I hope so," he murmured.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"There's something I need to ask him."  
  
Hermione stopped, directly infront of the door to the green house, and turned to face Ron. "Wait a minute! You can tell him what Ginny told you, but you can't tell me? How does that bloody work?"  
  
Ron didn't see this trap coming. "I'm not going to tell him anything," he pleaded, "I just need to clarify something."  
  
"Sure," she nodded, opening the door.  
  
'Great,' Ron thought, 'I fix the leak, only to have the pipe burst open. I need to think over things before I answer any questions from Hermione, ever.'  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Harry heard Ginny's voice again, "What? How can she think that I don't care about her. I've always cared, she never had to be the mother of my children!"  
  
There was a loud 'clank' in the room, that came from behind the walls. As Harry turned towards it, he noticed that the wall that was before the entrance to the hallway, was now moving. He would have been estatic if it was giving him an exit, but unfortunately, it wasn't. It was moving towards him. As he turned back to the empty portrait, that was was now closing in on him as well. All of them were, at a fairly stead pace.  
  
"No! I need more time!" Harry started to panic. 'Maybe this is any illusion!' he thought, frantically running to one of the moving walls. Pushing, with all of his strength trying to out-do the force of the movement. "CURTIS!" he screamed, "Curtis, don't do this to me! I NEED MORE TIME!" Running to a different wall, Harry realized that the trip was half the distance than what it was when he was pacing, "No, no, no! This isn't fair Curtis!" he shouted into the empty portrait over his shoulder, "You told me that I would be trapped in here if I didn't find my truth."   
  
Giving up on stopping the walls, Harry decided on getting a responce out of the painting. Pounding his fists on the canvas, he yelled into it, "Well, I've found it, and I don't want to die! I need to live! I promissed my children that I wouldn't let them grow up alone, and I'm not going to break that promise." The walls started moving towards eachother faster than before, and within a few seconds, Harry would be able to touch both of them at the same time. "I'm not going to let that bastard Voldermort live, just because this damn room decided to kill me, and I am not going to leave my friends to live in a world ruled by him, either."  
  
Harry wasn't able to turn around anymore, without his arms hitting the opposite wall. "I'm especially not going to leave Ginny alone. I promissed that I would be here for her through 'this.' She already thinks the worst of me, and I won't let her believe that I abandoned her." Grunting, he could feel the pressure of the walls crushing his rib cage. "I won't-" he moaned, not being able to turn his head, "leave her without letter her know-" Harry gasped for air, but he couldn't breathe. His chest was completely pinned between the walls, "that I love her."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Wow, I never realized how much of my inspiration came from writing at night. Seriously, it takes me twice as long to write a chapter these days. But, I'm giving you warning now. Homecoming is in two weeks, and (living in a small town) it is a huge deal. I won't have time to write, so you'll have to go a week without updates. I'll say it again: From the 14th to the 20th, I will NOT be posting. My plan is to post again on the 21st, and then every other day after. Until that time, I will be doing the same everyother day schedule. I'll let you know if there are any other changes to my posting plans. SNIZZLE if ya wizzle! 


	35. I Got Lost

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE: I GOT LOST  
  
There was nothing. No feeling what so ever. It wasn't cold, or extremely hot. Nor did he feel lighter, as if he were floating. The ground was still below his feet, and his robes weren't translucent.   
  
"Is this what it feels like to be dead?"  
  
"You're not dead."  
  
Harry opened his eyes. The walls, well the three that remained, were back to their normal stationary selves, and he, fortunately, was not crushed. Feeling a new joy towards being 'solid,' Harry became intrested in making sure every inch of himself was still there. Double checking, he gave a sigh of relief, "Good."  
  
"You know, for being the 'almighty' Harry Potter," a familiar voice joked, "you sure are slow on the uptake."  
  
"Curtis?"  
  
"In the magic."  
  
"Sure, now you can hear me."  
  
The portrait rolled his eyes, "I could hear you the whole time."  
  
"Then why didn't you help me?"  
  
He laughed to himself, "How else am I suppose to entertain myself?"  
  
"You were going to let me die?" Harry asked, disturbed at how wrong it was to enjoy someone's demise.  
  
There was another fit of giggles from Curtis, "You really are slow," he chuckled, "aren't you? You wouldn't have actually died, well, not by being crushed."  
  
"Then why did the walls close in?"  
  
"You'd be amazed at what truths are revealed during life and death situtations."  
  
Harry's jaw hit the floor, "You mean, all of that," the volume in his voice increased with every word, "was just to get me to say that I love Ginny?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"If I would have said that I loved her, right away," he muttered, "I would have been released?"  
  
"Like I said," Curtis couldn't keep a straight face, "you are a bit slow."  
  
"I think," Harry was sick of being made fun of. He had almost, well thought he was almost, about to die, and now he was being heckled for it. "I think I'll be leaving now."  
  
Curtis, knowing that the only way that Harry could find his way back, would to become lost, a wave of happiness washed over himself. "Most likely," he said, making fun of Harry's lack of clues when it came to his feelings for Ginny, "I'll be seeing you again."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Harry was extremely glad to be away from Curtis, and over joyed to be out of the Reflection Room. (Being alive, was a plus.) As he made his way away from the dead-end hall, he realized that if he didn't hurry, he would be late for Herbology. No matter how much he need or wanted to talk to Ginny, he couldn't skip class. 'Professor McGonagall is already mad at me for this morning,' he thought to himself, 'I can only imagine what she would be like if she found out that I missed an entire class. She's probably never even heard of the Reflection Room.'  
  
Making his way out of the doors, he was glad to feel the breeze coming off the lake as he made his way out to the green house. 'I can't wait to tell Ron and Hermione what just happened.' But he stopped himself, 'What would I tell them? I certainly can't tell them about my feelings for Ginny. Ron might act okay about what's going on now, but me being in love with Ginny?'   
  
With his last thoughts, he opened the doors to the green house, looking very perplexed, and deep in thought. "Mr. Potter," woke him from his train, "would you mind explaining why you are fifteen minutes late for class this morning?"  
  
"I got lost."  
  
There were giggles and sighs heard across the board, "That, Harry, is no reason to be late. Five points from Gryffendor." Professor Sprout motioned for him to take his usual posistion with Ron and Hermione. "Next time, please, make up a better excuse, or it will be ten points. Now," she said, returning to the lesson that Harry had interrupted, "Who can tell me what we do next?" Instantly, Hermione's face switched to one of confusion (towards Harry) to one of antisipation as her hand shot into the air, nearly hitting Harry in the process.  
  
In the mean time, Harry tried to pay attention to what was being taught, but his mind kept wandering. He was wondering what happened between Ron and Ginny after he left the Great Hall. But, already being in trouble, he decided to wait until later to ask his friend. 'Only forty minutes left.'  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Hey Harry!" Ron yelled above the crowds exiting classrooms, "Wait up!"  
  
Harry did a lot of thinking while he was in the green house, and while he was in his other classes during the day, too. "Yeah?"  
  
"Are you going to see Ginny now?"  
  
"I was planning on it, why?" Harry asked, "What happened this morning?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing," Ron said concerned, "You got lost? Since when have you gotten lost?"  
  
Harry laughed at himself, "It's a long story."  
  
"Alright then, but I need to ask you something," he said, stopping before the entrance to Gryffendor Tower.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you love my sister?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you love my sister," Ron repeated. When Harry didn't answer, Ron made another comment, "It's not life and death Harry. Just a question."  
  
"You only know the half of it," Harry muttered, but remembering that Ron could hear him answered meekly, "Yes."  
  
Ron quickly said the password to the agitated lady infront of him. Entering, he only gave a one word responce, "Good."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Sorry if this seems a little short, but I've got an Advanced Math test tomorrow first hour (UGH!) and a Student Council Meeting before that. (Can you see the joy in my expresion? No? Good, cuz there isn't any.) But, I knew I couldn't wait to see what I came up with for what happened to Harry. Did anyone think that he was lying about loving Ginny, and was going to be killed? It would have made for an interesting plot twist, but it would make no sense in what I've got planned for the story. (Plus, that's just mean.)   
  
Ummm, does anyone know who the 400th Snizzler was? I had it written down, but I lost the paper, and I'm too lazy/tired to try to count it. (Don't worry, I'll get to it.) Hey! That reminds me, THANK YOU for all of your awesome Snizzles. Especially for understanding about my posting schedule. I really love all the support that I'm getting from all of you. It helps more than you could imagine.   
  
That's all from me. REMINDER: Only (2) TWO (2) more posts this week, and then I've got to take a week off. SNIZZLE PLEASE! 


	36. Moving On

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX: MOVING ON  
  
"Do you love my sister," Ron repeated. When Harry didn't answer, Ron made another comment, "It's not life and death Harry. Just a question."  
  
"You only know the half of it," Harry muttered, but remembering that Ron could hear him answered meekly, "Yes."  
  
Ron quickly said the password to the agitated lady infront of him. Entering, he only gave a one word responce, "Good."  
  
"What?"  
  
Ron didn't stop walking after entering the common room. He just kept going, leaving Harry in awe of his statement. When Harry realized that Ron wasn't coming back to beat him to a pulp, he ran to catch up. Noticing his friend approaching, he decided to keep walking. "Harry, I'm only going to say this once," Ron sternly said, not looking as Harry jogged up the stairs to keep pace. "If you hurt her, I'll hurt you." When he came to the landing before their room, he turned around to face Harry, "Do you got that?"  
  
Harry didn't know what to say. This was the first time that Ron was seriously making a threat on his life, so he nodded, trying not to swallow his tongue.  
  
"Good," he said, turning to open the door. Before he entered, Ron decided to ease up a bit. "Now go tell her that."  
  
Harry, doing as he was told, turned on his heel and ran to his destination. When he reached Ginny's door, he almost ran into the figure coming out of it. "Whoo," he muttered, "that was a close one."  
  
Mrs. Weasley's voice responded, "What's the rush?"  
  
"Just really need to talk to Ginny."  
  
"Well," the woman started, heading down the stairs, "be careful not to ruin her mood."  
  
"Oh," Harry muttered quietly, "don't worry about that. What I have to say will make her extremely excited."  
  
Giving him a questioning glance, Molly decided to let his comment go without a response. After Harry was inside her daughter's private room, and out of earshot, she murmured, "It's about time he told her." A large smile came across her face as she left Gryffendor Tower.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ginny wasn't sure what her mother knew about what happened between her and Harry that morning. She didn't know what she was informed of. Apparently, the only thing that Mrs. Weasley wanted to discuss, was possible name choices for the twins. When Ginny realized what her mother was so happy for, she couldn't wait to burst her bubble, knowing how extatic she would get. But, when her mother mentioned using the names Gurtrud and Bertrum, Ginny had to inerrupt.   
  
"Mum," she cut in, "thanks, but I've already discussed baby names with Harry."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"And, we've already decided upon them."  
  
Molly looked hurt. "Ok. I guess you can just leave me out of all of your decisions then."  
  
"Mum!" Ginny whined, "Please. Don't be like this. Besides, you don't even know what we picked. I think you will be very happy."  
  
"Well?"  
  
Ginny quickly explained the naming process that they had used when picking out names. When she was finished, she fed her mother a disclaimer, "Now, don't be too upset," she soothed, building her up for a humorous disappointment, "but we named our little boy James Arthur-"  
  
"Oh honey! That's so sweet, why would I be upset over that?" Molly cooed.  
  
"Well," Ginny drawled, building up suspense, "It's what we named our daughter that will get to you the most."  
  
"Please," she urged, "just tell me. If I don't like it, we can still change it. They haven't been born yet."  
  
Ginny look down at her flat stomach. "Not that you could tell."  
  
"Better than when I was pregnant with Fred and George," Mrs. Weasley laughed, "by the time I was as far along as you, I couldn't even bend over." She tisked at the memories, "The hell they caused me. Before and after."  
  
"Thanks for the encouragement."  
  
"Okay. Enough stalling. What did you name her?"  
  
"I just need to remind you, that Harry picked her first name, not m-"  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
"Margaret."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Harry named our daughter after you."  
  
Molly had a blank stare on her face. If there were any thoughts that were being formed in her mind, Ginny couldn't read them. There was nothing, until a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. "I knew I always liked that boy."  
  
The rest of their visit went smoothly after that, with Ginny spilling everything of that days events, and her mother cheering her up, by telling her, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, your potions should wear off within the hour." Ginny was amazed at how her mother always knew the perfect thing to say, and when Mrs. Weasley left, she felt better than ever. That was, until Harry arrived.  
  
When Harry walked into her room, her mind instantly went back to that morning, and the fight that they had. Then it wandered to when she was with Ron. Of all of the thoughts that she had that morning, before her potion, none of them were in Harry's favor.   
  
"Ginny," Harry started happily, "I need to tell you something."  
  
"Does it have anything to do with what happened during the course of this morning?"  
  
Harry was surprised by her tone. "Well, in a way, yes."  
  
"Then, if it's alright with you," she turned to face him, "I'd rather forget about everything that happened before lunch. I had a long talk with Ron, not that he needed to convince me, but I realized that you were only trying to help me, and 'care' for me. I want to move on from that subject."  
  
He realized where she was going the instant she said the word care, and he didn't want to push her. If he said that he loved her, right then and there, then she would definately want to know how he came to that conclusion. Telling her that he had heard all of her most private thoughts would send her over the edge of fury. "I do. But are you sure you want to forget 'everything?'"   
  
Seductively, Harry swooped in, gently kissing her. When she didn't pull away immediately, he placed his hand on her back and neck, moving them closer together. It was just like this morning. Soft, sweet and innocent. (You would never know that they had children on the way.) It wasn't until he felt like he was being pushed apart, did he stop. Realizing what moved them apart was a funny sight.  
  
During their 'moment,' Ginny's masking potions decided to wear off. She didn't even feel it happen this time, only felt Harry pull away from her. "Why did you stop?"  
  
Harry pointed down to her stomach. "They didn't like me being so close."  
  
It took her a second, but she finally got the refrence to the 'Our children hate me' joke. "They don't hate you," she laughed, returning the hug she was recieving. "Oh, that reminds me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My mum was in here before you-"  
  
"I know. I almost ran her over."  
  
Ginny giggled at the thought of her mother being knocked over by Harry. "Well, she said that sometime soon, since we already picked the names of our children, we should decide on thier god parents. That way-" Ginny stopped talking. Her jaw dropped, and she gave Harry a look of pity. "Oh Merlin, Harry, I'm sorry I didn't even realize-"  
  
"No," he soothed, "Don't worry about it. No harm, no foul."  
  
"Well, we'll pick later."  
  
Harry was tired of being patronized. "Let's do it now."  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. Who were you thinking of."  
  
Ginny thought for a moment, then rubbed her swollen belly, "Actually, I hadn't really given it any consideration. What about you?"  
  
"Well," he said, "I was thinking about it, and I realized how much like Fred and George one of them already is-"  
  
"Mostlikely," Ginny interrupted, "It's James. Boys have always been trouble makers in my family."  
  
"That was my guess, too. So, I was thinking that maybe the more time that he spends with Hermione, the better behaved he will be."  
  
She thought for a moment. "That actually is a great idea, but Ron, too. This might be the next best thing to having us name our son after him." Thinking again, she realized that their work was only half done. "What about Maggie?"  
  
"Well," Harry sat down, "I was thinking that she will mostlikely turn out like you. Very well behaved, and studious."  
  
"Hey-"  
  
"It's a compliment," he quickly reassured her, then continuing with his point, "but I was thinking that she might do your brothers some good grounding."  
  
"Wait a minute. You want me to trust my brothers," she sat next to him, "Fred and George, with the care of our daughter?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She looked at him seriously, only to discover that Harry was being completely serious himself. "If you're sure-"  
  
"I am."  
  
Ginny decided it best to agree with him, especially since he had a point. "I don't want her to turn out so serious, like Percy and I am. I want her to be more like you and Ron. Always having a sense for adventure." Ginny restated her last statement. "Hopefully, she won't always find trouble, like you seem to. But, you're right. Maggie will be stong willed, a Weasley woman's best trait." She found the thought of her brothers being changed by their daughter an odd thought but, after carefully considering it, thought it was a definate possibilty. "I think she'll do some good for my brothers." Pausing to consider their choices, Ginny spoke again, "Alright. I'll tell my mum in the morning," she recieve a strange look from Harry after her last comment. But, remembering what the enitial reaction was when Molly was their earlier, thought it best not to leave her out of the loop, even for the day. "Hermione and Ron, and Fred and George."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Hey All. Thanks for your support (although I've said it many times, i think) I really appreciate how much time you all take to read and review. I'm really getting into writing before midnight, and I've gotten my inspiration back. Muwaahaha! I know something you don't know!!!   
  
Oh, ya. By the way: This is the second to last post before I have to take off for homecoming. I made it extra long since I've been cutting them short lately. Plus, I didn't make it a cliffy. Aren't you proud??? Anyways! Snizzle, please. 


	37. Accuracy in Minutes

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN: ACCURACY IN MINUTES  
  
Harry and Ginny spent the rest of the evening together, talking about their plans, about their future. It was an ackward conversation. Harry had never really thought about his future, except for wanting to be an auror. Everything else he expected to just fall into place. Kind of how this did. I guess it just wasn't a guy thing, to plan out every moment from birth to death. Voldermort was probably one of the main reasons why, too. Always having to watch his back, always having to protect the ones he loved.  
  
Ginny on the other hand, always spent her free time planning her future. What she wanted to do, where she wanted to go, the number of children, the color of her wedding dress. Everything, down to the most intricate details. The only thing that she planned on changing, for the moment, was how old she would be when she had her first child, or children (in her case). In fact, that was the only thing that was being altered on her map to success. She had already added Harry's name to the spot of groom, after first encountering him on the plat form his first year.  
  
"All of that seems so long ago," Harry said, after Ginny had told him her entire plan, recounting the tale of thier first meeting.  
  
"It's been almost six years."  
  
"Wow," he gawked, calculating the equasion in his own head, "has it really been that long?"  
  
"Yup," she smiled, "and it will be only another five months until I deliver." Ginny not feeling comfortable any other way, was laying on her bed with her knees up. Her eyes focused on various parts of the ceiling while her hands fondled her large belly. She loved the feeling of her stomach, even though she felt like a cow, it was extrememly comforting to be able to see, feel and know that her babies were safe.   
  
"It seems like only yesterday, that we were-" Harry paused, trying to find the least upsetting words, "in the forest. And it was only this morning when you told your parents." Somehow, Ginny knew that he was trying to make a point with all of these recollections, but decided to let him take the back roads to get there. "When actually yesterday we found out that you were pregnant with twins, and this morning we shared our first kiss." He stopped.   
  
She was confused. "Where are you going with this Harry?"  
  
"Well," he sighed, "I am just trying to calculate how many hours it has been since I admitted that I love you."  
  
She didn't say anything. She couldn't. Her jaw dropped, and her lips quivered, but there was no sound that could be heard from her.  
  
"But then I decided that it would be more accurate to count the minutes."  
  
"Wha- what?"  
  
Harry wasn't done with his schpeal. He hadn't even heard the whisper she had spoken because he was concentrating so hard on not messing up his orders and analygies. "The only thing I do know for sure," he muttered, "is that it has been 2 hours and 26 minutes since I told Ron that I loved you-" Ginny, who had managed to sit up, was now feeling quite dizzy at his words, "and 2 hours and 25 minutes since he told me to tell you."  
  
So many thoughts, so many reactions. But what to say? Part of her was screaming at her for not launching herself onto his face, while part was telling her it was just a ploy. 'He did say that it was Ron he told, and Ron who sent him. Maybe Ron told him to tell you that he loves you,' she thought. But an argument was brought up, 'What if he really does? Then why did he wait? Maybe- I don't know. It's just another game to make you happy. What's wrong with that? Everything, if he doesn't really love you! Oh.'  
  
Harry noticed that her eyes glazed over. She looked distant, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was what she looked like when she was thinking all of the things that he had heard earlier that day. "Ginny?" At the sound of his voice, her eyes filled with tears. Both were thinking the same thing, 'What does it mean?"  
  
'I love him,' she thought, 'but I can't bear it if he's lying to me. I can't and I won't.'  
  
Harry, although slightly perplexed, thought, 'I love her. Somehow I need to make her believe me. Maybe this reaction is my fault, she said not to bring up what happened this morning. Although, she doesn't know anything about what happened, she's goning to want to know. But how do I tell her? When? Now, later, after she asks? Why do girls have to be so complicated?'  
  
"Ginny?" he asked again.  
  
"I don't know why you are telling me this," she started flatly, "but I do know that I can't trust what you are saying." She didn't look at him. She couldn't bear to. Any sort of reaction to what she was telling him, would make it impossible to continue. "You are under a lot of pressure, from me, from your friends, your studies, my family and what not, but right now I feel like, somehow, I am forcing this out of you."  
  
"Gin, no-"  
  
"Don't finish that," she snapped, "What ever happened this morning, to make you 'realize' that you love me, I don't want to know about it. All I want to know is that you are going to stay by me. I love you, but I can't worry about you being honest to me right now. It's just too much stress. In five months, when all is said and done, then we can talk. But until then-"  
  
Ginny couldn't finish her thought. Why? Because she decided, at that moment, out of pure habit, to look at Harry. He was hurt. There were tears stinging his eyes, and his jaw was clenched tightly with his lips unpenatrateable. His head bowed slightly in defeat, as he closed his eyes to allow a solitary tear to roll down the lenght of his face. He didn't want to really believe that she was telling him to forget about his feelings, yet at the same time express her love to him. How was it fair?  
  
Harry felt suddenly embarassed. Crying in front Ginny, on any other occasion, wouldn't have been a bad thing, but to show his weakness towards her, after being rejected, was just not settling right for him. So, he did the only thing that he could do. "I'm sorry you feel that way."   
  
"Harry," she moaned, as he stood to leave, "please don't let this come between us."  
  
"Don't worry," he sighed, "I won't. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Okay, to clarify things just a bit. I am, after this post, going to take a posting break for ONE WEEK. That's it, because of Homecoming. I know that Homecoming is usually just one day, but at my school, the event lasts for the entire week. Between building floats, decorating halls, toilet papering, drama practice, all the activities and games that we do, there will definately not be time to keep up. Especially since teachers don't lighten the load. (Except usually, on Friday, cuz of the game and the dance being on Saturday, they usually don't assign anything.)  
  
On the other side of things, I thought about what a lot of you were saying, about the whole "I Love You" thing, and I finally decided to have Harry tell Ginny. A girl, who's like an older sister to me, just delivered a beautiful baby boy last night, so I'm kinda giddy for my "nephew." Hayden James (isn't that adorable?) is my reasoning for finally having it all out in the open. But, just because I'm happy doesn't mean that I was going to refrain from throwing a plot twist in there, as well. Keeping you all on your toes is what makes me happy, too. SNIZZLE! 


	38. Happy Afterwards

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT: HAPPY AFTERWARDS  
  
Harry spent the rest of the week in a slump. He moped about the castle, concentrating on homework and catching up with the lastest news from both the wizzarding world and the muggle world. To anyone who didn't know what was going on, Harry was going through the male version of PMS. His moods were happy and up beat around Ginny, buy grumpy around everyone else. It was a strange thing.   
  
Ginny, however, didn't notice anything strange going on with Harry. She thought that he was being his normal self when she saw him during the night (when he put on his happy and understanding smile). He would always walk into the room with a smile, and leave with an even bigger one, she mentioned to Ron one night, when he asked what was going on.  
  
"Like I've told you," she muttered, "there's nothing different with him. If anything, he's in the best mood I've seen him in since," she paused, "last year."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes, "That's how he is around you. He's not always like that. I'm telling you Gin something's different."  
  
"Relax Ron."  
  
But he couldn't. There was something different about his best friend, even some of the Professors had picked up on it. Talk about strange, but having Snape approach you in the halls, just to ask you about your best friend's mood swings? Creepy. Ron actually had an incureable (well, almost incureable) chill for the rest of the day. When he spoke to Hermione, she told him that she had been noticing something funny going on with him.  
  
"I don't know what it is," she said, "but there is definately something wrong."  
  
"I don't know either, but Ginny is completely clueless to it, and Harry just snaps at me whenever I try to talk to him about something other than quidditch or homework."  
  
"When did this all start?"  
  
Ron thought for a moment, "Um, last week," he remembered, "when Ginny didn't want to take her potion."  
  
"When he ended up being late for class?"  
  
"That's the day."  
  
"Did we ever find out why he was late?"   
  
Ron thought for a moment, "No."  
  
"Oh," Hermione sat down against the wall of the abandoned hall way that they were talking in, "Could it be something Ginny said to him that night?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, you said that Harry admitted to you that he loved Ginny-"  
  
"Don't remind me."  
  
"Grow up." She rolled her eyes, at him, giving him the same glare that Ginny gave him when he becomes over-protective. "Maybe it was when he told her. Maybe she-"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Maybe she rejected him."  
  
Ron laughed at her, "You know, probably more than I do how much Ginny is in love with Harry. Why would she reject him when only hours before she told me how she could never stop loving him."  
  
"I don't know," she sighed, "Maybe it's part of the whole pregnant-emotional thing. If there's one thing that Ginny was feeling that day, it was insecure. She might have decided to-"  
  
"Hermione! Listen to what you're saying."  
  
"I know what I'm saying Ron, and I know what I'm seeing. Harry is depressed around everyone but Ginny. It's obvious that he's just putting up a front for her."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"So that she doesn't know that he's depressed," Hermione let out a short sigh. "Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he didn't tell her and that's why he's so unhappy, but-"  
  
"But nothing. You were right the first time, Hermione."  
  
"Harry!"  
  
Slowly creeping around the corner, Harry revealed himself to his friends. "I did tell her, and she did-"  
  
"Reject?"  
  
"-and she did reject me."  
  
Ron, being wrong, was shocked, "Why didn't you tell us? I mean, what's the point of only being happy in front of Ginny?"  
  
"Ron, you don't get it," Harry slumped across the hall, "before I told her, it was all I could think about. You know how it is. I was full of antisipation and worry. No matter how I knew she felt, I couldn't predict her reaction."  
  
Hermione offered up a quick ending to what appeared to be the start of a long story, "What was her reaction?"  
  
"Exact quote?" Harry asked.  
  
They nodded.  
  
"She said that she couldn't trust what I was saying, and told me that I was under a lot of pressure from everyone to tell her that I loved her." Harry sighed before continuing, "She said that she felt that she was forcing me to tell her that I loved her."  
  
"And what did you say in response to that reaction?" Dr. Ron asked, earning him a smack upside the head from Hermione.  
  
"Nothing. She wouldn't let me say anything. Ginny said that she didn't want to worry about me being honest with her. It was just too much stress, and until the twins are born, she doesn't want to talk about it, again. She wouldn't even let me tell her how I came to realize my feelings."  
  
Hermione and Ron exchanged looks, but before they could ask the question, Harry answered, "When I said that I got lost, I was being serious."  
  
"How do you get lost on the way to the Hospital Wing?"  
  
"By not thinking about where you are going. I wasn't paying attention to where I was, at all, and I ended up at a dead end hall that tried to kill me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The hall turned into a room where I could hear everything that Ginny was thinking."  
  
"And where does the death part come in?"  
  
Seriously, Harry said, "When the room tried to collapse on me."  
  
Hermione shook her head and held up her hand, "Stop there. I don't want to know anymore. I'm just going to classify this under the catagory of 'extremely wierd happenings.'"  
  
"Why not under 'new castle developments?'" Ron joked.  
  
"Because that catagory is already full."  
  
"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny, but I'm being serious."  
  
"We know that Harry," Hermione soothed, "it's just that if we don't joke about it, it'll be too serious to discuss. All experiences have a bit of humor in them afterwards."  
  
"Are you sure that 'all' of them do?"  
  
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A/N: Thanks to everyone for understanding about homecoming. No, I am not graduating this year (I wish!) but in my school, Homecoming Week is the biggest class competition. You get points for everything, and well, you only get your class year on a trophy-thingy, but it's a lot of pride...something that means an excessively large amount in a small town.   
  
But, to answer something else, I don't just count the number of reviews I get, I actually read them. What's the point of asking you to write them if I'm not going to read??? Oh well. I do like when the numbers go up, but if they don't I'm still going to write. 


	39. Serious Somethings

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE: SERIOUS SOMETHINGS  
  
Hermione shook her head and held up her hand, "Stop there. I don't want to know anymore. I'm just going to classify this under the catagory of 'extremely wierd happenings.'"  
  
"Why not under 'new castle developments?'" Ron joked.  
  
"Because that catagory is already full."  
  
"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny, but I'm being serious."  
  
"We know that Harry," Hermione soothed, "it's just that if we don't joke about it, it'll be too serious to discuss. All experiences have a bit of humor in them afterwards."  
  
"Are you sure that 'all' of them do?"  
  
Ron and Hermione paused completely. What were they supposed to say to that? 'As soon as you get over them, yeah.' That would go over real well. Fortunately, they didn't have to think of something to say in responce. Harry could see that Hermione was mentally kicking herself for what she said. "It's okay. I know that you didn't mean what you said the way I'm choosing to take it. I just wish that the people I love didn't all leave me."  
  
"What do you mean, 'leave you?'"  
  
"Yeah Harry, Ron and I are still here," Hermione offered, "and so is-"  
  
"-Ginny?" Harry asked, "Ginny may be here physically, but I don't know what world she is truely living in."  
  
"Harry," Ron started, going back into over-protective brother mode, "give her a chance."  
  
"How can I?" Harry demanded. "That day," he said, referring to the day he was locked in the Reflection Room, "I spent most of my morning listening to Ginny's thoughts. All she wanted was for me to truely love her, and after my near death experience I realized that I have been hiding my feelings for her all of these years." He paused to breath, but decided to add a bit of a dramatic flare, "When I finally tell her, she tramples all over me, rips out my heart and leaves me there, a bloody mess to pick up the broken pieces. You two are lucky."  
  
"How so?" Ron asked, "It took us five years to admit our feelings to eachother."  
  
"But at least when you did, Hermione was accepting, and returned your love."  
  
"But Harry," Hermione said, "You've got to understand what Ginny is going through. She's so stressed out about this whole thing, that she doesn't want to doubt you on top of it all. She needs you to be patient."  
  
"How can I be?"  
  
"Just love her."  
  
Harry, although it was a simple concept to understand, needed his friend to clarify, "Care to explain Ron?"  
  
"It's not rocket science," he joked, "you just need to keep loving her, and showing her the same support that you have been. Nothing has changed between you. The only that is different since you told her, is how you've been treating the rest of the school." Ron's face suddenly became distorted, "Do you know what it's like to have Snape question your best friends motives?"  
  
"He did?"  
  
"Yes," Hermione answered, "that's how 'odd' you've been acting lately. Snape actually became concerned."  
  
Harry slumped back against the wall, "I didn't realize that I had become that bad."  
  
"You were that and a basket of bread," Ron laughed.  
  
Hermione started to giggle at Ron's version of the muggle saying.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
Harry joined Hermione in her heckling, "I think you meant-"  
  
Ron didn't appreciate being laughed at by his girlfriend and his best friend. (But he was used to it.) "What?"  
  
"Nevermind," the two said in unison.  
  
Harry looked at his watch. "Bloody Hell! Where does the time go?"  
  
"You've got a date?"  
  
Harry flushed slightly, "Not exactly."  
  
"Then where do you have to be in such a hurry?"  
  
"Ginny and I are signing some paper work that we've got to take care of."  
  
A baffled look crossed Hermione's expression, "Something serious?"  
  
"Sort of," Harry murmured, knowing that Ginny wanted to be the one to tell them, "but you'll find out when you get there."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry happily said starting to walk down the hall they were in, "Ginny's got something to tell you."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Heya! This one is short, I know. I've got a math test tomorrow, and I still have to finish some of my assignments for the chapter, and double check all of my answers. Sorry, but passing my Advanced Math class is more important at the moment than writing a ginormus chapter. At least I didn't blow off writing completely, right? Sorry again, SNIZZLE! 


	40. Who Wears the Apron?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY: WHO WEARS THE APRON?  
  
Harry wasn't going to be the one to ruin Ginny's surprise. Although, he was tempted, he never told Hermione and Ron what they were going to be told. Somehow it was more fun to make them guess. With a mind like Hermione's, you would think that she would have guessed (especially since Ginny had been dropping hints all week) but if she didn't have if figured out then, she would be completely confuse when Harry side tracked the route back to the common room.   
  
"Fred? George?" Ron questioned up the grand staircase. They were now standing out side the Great Hall, how they got there, Hermione and Ron hadn't the slightest. "What in the name of Merlin are you two doing here?"  
  
"We were wondering the same thing."  
  
Hermione became confused, "You mean you don't know?"  
  
"Fred and I were only owled this morning to come," George said, "Mum said that Ginny had something to tell us."  
  
"You two?" Ron murmured, "What is going on Harry?"  
  
Before Harry could answer, a sixth person entered the room, "Don't you dare Harry Potter, or you will not only have to face the rath of my daughter, but me as well."  
  
"Good evening, Mum," the twins chimed.  
  
Mrs. Weasley rushed up the stairs, "Oh, my boys," she said happily, "it's good to see you again."  
  
"Mum," Ron asked, "what's all this about?"  
  
"You'll find out."  
  
About to explode, Harry made the first move towards the stairs and up to the common room. "Let's go then, shall we," he said, "I don't want to keep Ginny waiting." He took the stairs two at a time in a running fashion, not slowing unless Mrs. Weasley made him wait. By the time everyone caught up with him at the portrait, he felt as if he had been waiting for them for hours (even though it was less than a minute). There he was, standing with his back leaning against the wall, shoulder proping open the painting, tapping his foot as if it would make the rest go faster. "Hurry up."  
  
"Ugh," Mrs. Weasley moaned, "He's got the patience of a first year, with double the energy."  
  
Hermione, who followed right behind her, sighed, "You should see him when he's really in a rush. He almost floats, he goes so fast."  
  
Ron, Fred and George were able to keep up pretty close with Harry. The three of them, constantly playing quidditch, were in better shape than Harry. But, as stated before, 'he almost floats, he goes so fast.'  
  
"Well, come on!" Harry ushered.  
  
"Were here," Ron muttered, "Relax. She's not due to pop for another four months."  
  
"Ron-" Hermione said, promptly slapping him upside the head.  
  
"What did I do this time?"  
  
Hermione lowered her voice as she entered into the common room, "One, keep your voice down, and two, don't refer to your sister as if she were a water balloon."  
  
As they made their way up the stairs, Fred and George recieved many greetings. Some from students they recognized, while some were just from fans of the shop. But it wasn't just the shop that made the twins so famous, the stories that were told. Every first year knew the tales of the Weasley brothers' legendary escape from Umbridge. It was a rainy day tradition to pass down the yarns of the pranks that had been pulled within the castle walls. Most were immediately put the test by a few first year boys, but none had the same passion as Fred and George, and often were caught before they could even attempt.  
  
When they finally made it through the common room, Harry sprinted up the stairs towards Ginny's private room. He wanted to give her a bit of a warning before they got there. Sure, it would only be a few seconds, but all the same it would be a warning. When there was a gently wrap at the door, Harry answered. Hermione, Ron and Mrs. Weasley entered first, followed by Fred and George. Ginny sat in a rocking chair, with her back to the door.   
  
"Ginny?" the twins asked quietly, in unison, unsure if she was sleeping or not.  
  
"Fred!" she exclaimed, "George!" jumping to her feet and turning to face them.   
  
"Bloody hell, Gin-" Fred started.  
  
"You're huge!" George finished.  
  
Ginny, although she loved the way her belly looked (when she looked pregnant) was still pregnant, and still disliked being called fat. Her expression immediately turned to one of saddness, and she turned away from the group.  
  
"Ginny, we didn't mean it like that."  
  
"Honestly, you look terrific!"  
  
Ginny gave a slight sniffle, "Really?"  
  
"Of course," one said, "we just haven't seen you in so long. I for one didn't expect you to be this far along."  
  
"You look like you're ready to pop!" the other exclaimed.  
  
"Why do they get to say it," Ron whined to Hermione, "but I can't?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Hasn't anyone told you," she asked them, "that Ginny is pregnant with twins?"  
  
Fred and George's eyes went wide. Turning back to their baby sister, they recieved a sheepish grin and nod as confirmation. "Yup," she chirped, "I'm going to have twins. A boy and a girl."  
  
"The boy will be name Fred, right?"  
  
"No," George responded, "he's going to be named after me, right Gin?"  
  
"They've already picked out names," Ron muttered, "and besides, if Ginny was going to name her son after one of her brothers, it would have been me."  
  
"Boys!" Ginny shouted, "That's not what we are here for."  
  
"What are we here for?" Hermione asked, her intrest peaked, "Harry said that you had something to tell us?"  
  
"Well," Ginny started, "Harry and I decided that if we weren't going to name our children after any of you," she pointed at her brothers, "we would do the next best thing."   
  
"Which is?"  
  
Ginny had a huge grin on her face. She was delaying telling them as long as possible, just to see them squirm. "We are naming the four of you their godparents."  
  
Hermione jumped for joy, "But who for who?"  
  
"Well," Harry started, "since Jimmy-" George raised an eyebrow to the name, "James," Harry corrected himself, "would most likely end up being like Fred and George, we figured that it would be best if he spent more time with Hermione-"  
  
"And Ron, so he doesn't become completely dulled," Ginny added with a joking tone, smiling at Hermione. "We also figured that our daughter, Maggie, shouldn't be left out of all the fun, like I was, so we wanted her to spend lots of time with Fred and George."  
  
"Who wears the apron?"  
  
"What?" Ginny asked.  
  
Ron, who asked the question, elaborated, "Well, one is Maggie's god father, but which one is her god mother?" he joked.  
  
"Ha. Ha. Ha," the twins sneered.  
  
Hermione gave him a playful punch in the arm, "This is the twenty first century, Ron. Grow up."  
  
The rest of the night was spent filling the twins in on all of the details they had missed during Ginny's pregnancy. They were happy to hear them all, but not to excited, when Harry kicked them all out. "Ginny needs to sleep. There will be plenty of time to talk in the morning."  
  
"Yes, daddy," Fred mocked, making down the stairs and towards the guest quaters.  
  
George joined in the fun, "See you in the morning, Pops!"  
  
Harry, realizing that he sounded old, gave a slight laugh, but promptly pointed towards the door. Once everyone was gone, he helped Ginny into bed. She fell asleep the second her head touched the pillow. Tucking her in, Harry gave her a quick kiss on the forhead, "Good night, love."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Sorry to say, but my class took second in the homecoming competitions. But, unless a class wins everything (which we came close to) the points are tweaked so that the seniors win. It's not that big of a deal, really. We took second.   
  
HEY! Guess what...I've got 600 snizzles! Yay, but, I've decided that it's not right to pass out recognition to people who are my 'mile markers' in a sense. Because all of you Snizzle, so THANKS TO EVERYONE!!!! I never thought that this day would actually come, and I've only be writing for what, two months? Wow. Thank you all, again for Snizzling. Keep up the good work, and I'll keep up mine. 


	41. Fits of Giggles

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY ONE: FITS OF GIGGLES  
  
Truth be told, Ginny did know how much Harry loved her. Always protecting her, even before she was pregnant, and all the times he had risked his life just to save her own. He was truely selfless, and it hurt her so much not to accept his love when he offered it to her. She trusted him, more than she could ever express, but still. The thoughts that she had made her worry too much, and stress is not good for a pregnant woman, or her babies. Thinking back on the morning that she had her fight with Harry over taking the potions, her head was in control.  
  
Her heart was in control when Ron came to talk to her that morning. 'If only that had been Harry,' she often thought to herself, 'I wouldn't have been able to refuse him then.' He didn't come back to her. Not until later that night. By then Ginny's head had regained its command of the situation. Seeing him cry, and be so strong, made her worries shatter. She wanted to take back what she had said, countless times that week, but didn't. Harry was alright with what she had decided. Going back on what she had previously said would make her seem like a hypocrite. Make her seem weak in Harry's eyes.All of those emotions running through her body, controling her every move, was so complicated. Thank Merlin, that it was only that way at night.   
  
A few weeks past, and with them came her OWLS. Luckily, she had the schools smartest (and highest scoring) person as her best friend. With Hermione's help, Ginny was more than prepared for her exams.   
  
"How'd you do Gin?" Hermione asked, as Ginny exited her last test.  
  
Ginny gave a slight smile, shrugged her shoulders and kept walking, "Okay, I guess."  
  
"You guess?"   
  
Doing her best to keep a straight face, she conntinued walking. Hermione's frantic rambling was so funny, that when she had started, Ginny couldn't help but string her along. Make her belive that she had done horribly. How long she could keep it up was going to be difficult, but that's the way things go. Hey, who could blame Ginny for getting a laugh? at the end of the week, she would be going home. Well, not exactly going home. Going, with Harry, to the Dursley's.   
  
"How can you guess, we spent countless hours preparing, studying. Even running practice exams just to be sure you had the proper techniques. You were easily more prepared than I was, and you can only guess that you did OKAY?"  
  
"Relax, Hermione. I finished with enough time to triple check all of my answers," Ginny said casually.  
  
Hermione gasped for air, and then continued to ramble, "WHAT! Why didn't you tell me that before? How can you be so calm? I didn't even have that much spare time. Well, actually I had about that much time left over on approximately eighty five percent of my exams, but ALL of them? That's amazing! Fantastic! Exhilarating, really. How can you just stand to stand there. You might have actually beaten my scores-"  
  
"Breath 'Moine," Ron said, wraping around her waist from behind, "she just got done. Let her realize that she won't have to take tests for another year, and then pounce."  
  
Ginny burst into laughter. Seeing Hermione almost hyperventilate, along with the look on her face was priceless. Knowing that she could make her do it again by stating what a breeze the OWLS were, made it even more valuable. She couldn't stop laughing, and had to gasp for air. Her sides started to hurt from the sharp intakes of air, but it didn't make her calm. It actually egged her on. People actually started to stare as they walked past the group on there way out side to enjoy the last few days on the Hogwart's grounds.  
  
When Harry came across his friends, Ginny was still going at it. How she was able to stand was questionable. Hermione and Ron had worried looks on their faces (seeing that they had been standing there for the past five minutes while she laughed uncontrollably) and Harry, although amused at first grew worried when she didn't respond to him. "Ginny? What's so funny?"  
  
She didn't even attempt to answer him. Just stood there, half hunched, holding the sides of her stomach, laughing while her friends stood there watching. Hermione, who was still tweaked about the whole test score thing, nervously looked at her watch. It was almost five o'clock. "Um, Harry? Ron?"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"We need to get her out of here," she lowered her voice, "her potion will be wearing off soon."  
  
Harry sharply took his eyes off of Ginny and gave her a questioning glare, "How soon?"  
  
"About three minutes. Maybe five if she woke up late."  
  
"Bloody hell!" was all Ron could muster.  
  
Turning to Ginny, Harry took hold of her shoulders and straightened her up. "Ginny? Ginny!"  
  
"Why won't she respond?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry, although he wish he could give the answer, couldn't. "I don't know," he said, "but we need to get her out of the open. Let's get her upstairs to the common room."  
  
"No, Harry," Hermione said, turning to Ron, "You're mum's office is the closest thing to us."  
  
"She's right," Ron told Harry, "We'd never make it to the Tower in time."  
  
"What are we waiting for?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
It only took the three of them a minute to get Ginny inside the door of Mrs. Weasley's Office. When the got there, although confused, Mrs. Weasley immediately tried to stop her daughter's laughter. Now, she was gasping for air more than she was laughing. Ginny's stomach was now to her nightly usual of huge, didn't even phase her. Usually it was slightly painful to her when her belly expanded, but there was no sign of it between her continuous pattern of gasps and laughs.  
  
"Mum?" Ron asked, "What's wrong with her?"   
  
"I don't know. I just wish that Hermione would hurry with Madame Pomfrey."  
  
Harry thought about the last time Hermione was sent to fetch Madame Pomfrey, "Let's just hope that she didn't try to run to get her," he chuckled, "like the last time she was sent."  
  
Thinking about the time Harry was talking about, Ron joined in on his snickering. "That was hilarious. It took her a full twenty minutes to figure out that the stairs didn't like her running."  
  
Mrs. Weasley, slightly confused, asked, "But I thought Hermione had 'Hogwarts, A History' memorized by chapter. Isn't that in the first section?"  
  
"Yup," Ron said, basking (again) in the glory of knowing that he had out smarted Hermione.   
  
"Oh heavens!" Madame Pomfrey excalimed as she was ushered in the door, "Hermione, I thought you said that only Ginny couldn't stop laughing."  
  
"That's right," Hermione said stepping through the door.  
  
"Then why are Harry, Ron and his mother also having fits?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Don't we all wish that we had a nice cuddly someone to snuggle? My friends and I personally wish for snugglebunnies.  
  
I decided to throw the focus onto Ginny for a little while, since for a long while, I've been focusing on Harry, and Harry's problems. I thought that this would be a nice break, and a great way to get inside her head a little. Hope you like. SNIZZLES! 


	42. Like What?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY TWO: LIKE WHAT?  
  
"Oh heavens!" Madame Pomfrey excalimed as she was ushered in the door, "Hermione, I thought you said that only Ginny couldn't stop laughing."  
  
"That's right," Hermione said stepping through the door.  
  
"Then why are Harry, Ron and his mother also having fits?"  
  
"I don't know," Hermione muttered, taking in the scene around her.  
  
Mrs. Weasley straightened at Hermione's comment, "It's not the-" she attempted between giggles, "only thing you didn't know."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind that dear," Madame Pomfrey interjected, "help me with Ginny." Rushing over to scoop up the laughing heap of a pregnant girl, she turned back to Hermione to get assistance, "Now, what started this whole thing?"  
  
"Well," Hermione started.  
  
"The short version," the woman interrupted, "please."  
  
Although sick of being cut off, Hermione decided it best to go along with the treatment until Ginny was able to take full breaths. "Um, we were discussing how she did on her OWLS. When she burst into laughter."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"You wanted the short version," Hermione snickered, making the others in the room, who were begining to breathe normally again, double over in a second round of laughter.  
  
"Was there anything specifically that might have caused this? Something you said, or maybe something you did?"  
  
Hermione sighed, but thinking back there wasn't anything that would have caused something like this. "No, Madame Pomfrey, nothing. In fact the majority of the conversation, before Ron showed up, was of me telling Ginny that she might have beaten my scores," Hermione quickly paused for a breath, deciding to voice her entire opinion on the matter, "Not like that is a funny thing, but she didn't even show any emotion about the exams. It was as if she was trying to-"  
  
"I believe the pharse is 'pull one on you.'"  
  
"Well, that explains why she started, but why hasn't she stopped?" Hermione asked.  
  
Making the all too familiar 'Tsk' noise that was all too familiar when Madame Pomfrey was making a diagnosis. "I believe," she finially stated, "that Ginny is just suffering from a little pent up stress. Her inability to control her laugher is most likely from all of the emotions that are raging inside her-"  
  
"So basically," Hermione interrupted, "it's from normal pregnancy things?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So how do we get her to stop?" the girl asked, "If she keeps it up, she'll pass out soon."  
  
"Help me keep her sitting," Madame Pomfrey said. With a flick of her wand, a flask appeared before the women, floating in mid-air. Grabbing it, and removing the cork with her teeth, she moved the potion to Ginny's mouth. With her free hand, Madame Pomfrey cast a spell to keep the giggling girl's mouth slightly open. Reluctantly, Ginny drunk it, trying not to choke on the flavor (although everything, including the horrid flavor, was funny).  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ginny, while packing her trunk, was still confused about what had happened earlier. She knew why she had started laughing and she knew how she was able to stop, but what made her keep going? Everything that Madame Pomfrey had told her earlier, about it being built up stress from her OWLS, was just a crock, in her mind.   
  
"I was overly prepared for my OWLS," Ginny found herself telling Hermione, who escorted her back to her room and stayed to help her pack. "Thanks to you, but I was in no way stressed over them. I don't know what was going through my mind."  
  
"You were in it."  
  
"I may have been," Ginny said while magically floating her wardrobe, minus what she still needed for the remaining days, into her trunk, "but that doesn't mean that I can remember what I was thinking. It's like I was awake and blacked out at the same time."  
  
"Well," Hermione said, "next time, give up some sort of a warning if you could. Your stomach turned just as we got you into your mother's office."  
  
"Luckily," Ginny murmured, rubbing her belly.  
  
Letting out a sigh of happiness, Hermione tried to cheer Ginny up, "At least we're going home now," she started to ramble, "and within the week I'll be joining all of you at the burrow. Oh! We're going to have so much fun decorating the twins' room. It'll definately have to be purple. Or maybe yellow. I'm not sure, but I do know that it can't just be pink or blue. Green would work, too-"  
  
The second that Hermione mentioned going home, Ginny's heart stoped. She wasn't going home. At least not to her home. She was being sent to a prison, one where she wasn't wanted, and would definately be hated. Dropping her wand, she realized that her out burst was just the tip of what insanity was yet to come. Talk about stress. Being with the Dursleys, after hearing all of the horrible stories of how Harry was treated, was painful, literally.   
  
Hermione, although she didn't realize what she had done (bringing up going home) noticed immediately when Ginny dropped her wand. The silence shattering sound of the wood hitting the floor, along with sound of hangers and clothes dropping, as well. The worst sound, one that Hermione turned around in time to see, was Ginny folding he legs beneath her, while still standing, causing her to fall as well. Dropping her own wand and rushing in the direction of her best friend, Hermione mentally kicked herself for what she said. 'Of course! It was what Ron said, about it being the last tests she would have to take for a while, since it was the end of the year. At least it just wasn't because of me, although, 'this' is my fault.'  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Yes, Ginny?" Hermione asked, kneeling beside the girl.  
  
"I'm scared."  
  
"Of what, Gin?"  
  
Ginny lowered her head into her hands and began to cry. "That something will happen to Harry and me while we are at the Dursley's. All of the stories that he's told me over the years, with how much they hate the wizarding world. I don't want to go, mostly because I fear for the lives of my children. They were created by magic, and I'm a pure blooded witch. Just think of all of the things that could happen to me while I'm there that can be made into an accident."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: I LOVE Cliff Hangers, Don't you?? Well, Not that this was a hanger. More like a closet, but you know that I'm going to drop a really big one on you soon.  
  
I'm pretty sure I was supposed to post tonight. But, if I'm mistaken (which you won't correct me on) it doesn't really matter. Either way there is a new chapter posted, and either way there will be a new post the day after tomorrow. Things (thankfully) have calmed down a lot in my life. Maybe too much, but it's a nice vacation. I know it won't last for long.   
  
Oh, by the way, in case I've written it differently (or have done the math wrong) right now, it is the end of May/begining of June (the last few days of school) and Ginny is due mid-September (about two weeks into school). Just incase you were wondering. 


	43. Died Defending Love

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY THREE: DIED DEFENDING LOVE  
  
"I'm scared."  
  
"Of what, Gin?"  
  
Ginny lowered her head into her hands and began to cry. "That something will happen to Harry and me while we are at the Dursley's. All of the stories that he's told me over the years, with how much they hate the wizarding world. I don't want to go, mostly because I fear for the lives of my children. The were created by magic, and I'm a pure blooded witch. Just think of all of the things that could happen to me while I'm there that can be made into an accident."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't know!" Ginny yelled, throwing her hands into the air in defeat. "I don't even want to really think about it."  
  
"Ginny," Hermione soothed, "nothing will happen to you, or your babies."  
  
"How do you know that? How can you be so sure?" she demanded. "It's not like you'll be there."  
  
"No, I won't be," Hermione said, trying to remain as calm as possible, "but I know that Harry will be there, and I know that Harry would never let anything happen to you. He loves you Gin, no matter how hard you try not to see it, he loves you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"What did you say?" Hermione asked, giving her friend a questioning glare. Barely above a whisper Ginny spoke, and although Hermione had an idea of what she said, but wasn't going to jump to any conclusions.  
  
With a sigh, Ginny told Hermione the truth, "I know that Harry loves me. I've just never wanted to deal with the fact that he might just love me for the sake of 'his' children. I can't be sure that he truely loves me, and not them."  
  
"How can you question that? He almost died defending his love for you, and you don't trust that!"  
  
Curious, Ginny rose from her seat and approached Hermione, who was starting to babble. "What do you mean he almost died?"  
  
"Well, he wouldn't have actually died, it was just an illusion. Because he figured out that he loved you, ('He had to figure it out?' Ginny thought to herself,) it wouldn't have actually hurt him, but he didn't know that. Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, "I'm such a fool. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but then I let it slip, and now look at me, yammering on, like an idiot-"  
  
"Hermione," Ginny raised a hand to stop the incoheriant babbling, "it's okay. I don't blame you."  
  
"But-"  
  
"And I don't blame Harry either," she continued, hoping not to be interrupted again. "It's more my own fault, and I can't blame you for telling me the truth. Why didn't Harry just explain all this to me, when he told me?"  
  
"You didn't want to hear it."  
  
"I'm sure that I never said that."  
  
Hermione crossed her eyes and glared, "How sure? According to Harry, you told him shortly after he arrived, and promptly after he told you he loved you."  
  
"Oh."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
The day had finally come.  
  
"We're going home."  
  
Ginny snickered at her brother's comment, "Not all of us, Ron."  
  
"Trust me Gin," Harry said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze after stepping into a compartment, "I'm not going home either."  
  
"Come one you two!" Hermione piped, "Cheer up."  
  
"What's there to be happy about? I'm going to be living in a bloody-"  
  
"Ginny."  
  
"Sorry, Harry," Ginny sighed, "I know that you say it won't be that bad, but I just can't help but worry."  
  
"I know, I know. But I told you," Harry said, turning towards her, "nothing will happen, not while I'm there."  
  
"But what if-"  
  
"No."  
  
"Awe!" Hermione squealed, "They're so cute together!"  
  
Ron, turning from the window (where he was trying not to pay to much attention to Harry and Ginny), noticed what Hermione was talking about. There was his baby sister, who happened to be pregnant with twins, holding hands with his best friend, the father of said twins. He had to admit, though, they did look really good together. Standing near the door way, Harry and Ginny were leaning into eachother, their foreheads touching and hands entwined. "Just because I said that I didn't mind you two being in love and all, doesn't mean that I want to veiw all the cutesy moments."  
  
"Sorry, Ron," Harry grinned, being reminded that he loved Ginny, and that he, Harry Potter, loved Ginny. It was the most amazing feeling. Even more magical than feeling the twins kicking, the one time that they did.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione scolded, glaring daggers at him, "Leave them alone."  
  
"Why?" Ron asked, "They'll have the whole summer to themselves, away from my view, to do what every they bloody please."  
  
Ginny immediately started crying after his words, causing Harry to send a few glares towards Ron as well.  
  
"Gin," Ron pleaded, "I didn't mean it."  
  
"No-" she sobbed onto Harry's chest, "i-it's not that. It's j-just that I won't see you a-gain after today. For the who-ole summer."  
  
"Sure you will!" Ron chimed.  
  
"H-how?"  
  
"We could come and visit," Hermione said, noticing that Ron was stumped for answers.  
  
"Actually," Harry said, "you can't. I didn't want to mention this until Ginny and I were settled it, but Dumbledor says that any visitors, wizard visitors, might look suspicious. The Dursley's house is going to be watched by Voldermort's crones. No doubt that they'll be taking note on everyone who enters."  
  
Disappointed, Hermione offered up another solution, "What about traveling by Floo?"  
  
"Not connected to the network," Harry said matter-o-factly, "and even if we were, it would be forbidden."  
  
"By who?" Ron asked.  
  
"Who do you think?" Harry spat, "You were there the last time, and only time that floo powder was used in that house."  
  
"Ah, the original taste-test of the ton-tounges. That was hilarious!"  
  
"For you, maybe," Harry said, "but not if you li-"  
  
"Don't finish that sentance!" Ginny warned, "Not if you want to keep your own tounge."  
  
"Okay."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Attention all Snizzlers:  
  
Just so you know, I've gotta go on a road trip this weekend, and won't be getting back 'til late sunday night. So, why do you care? Well, I'll tell you. Unless the plans dramatically change, I won't be able to write/post on Sunday night. I feel horrible about it, I truely do, but there's no way that I'll be able to spend two+ hours writing after driving for three hours. If I get back earlier, then I'll attempt it. But, either way, I'll be posting on Friday and (if I don't post Sunday) I'll be posting Monday.   
  
That is all. You can go back to your normal business.  
  
(SNIZZLE) 


	44. Threats

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY FOUR: THREATS  
  
As the train slowed to a stop, the four companions in the compartment stood. Ginny so wanted to stay seated there for the next three months, and not have to go. She wanted to be with Harry, but at her house, in her own room. Harry, noticing the fear in Ginny's eyes and her determination not to move, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. "Ginny," he whispered while steering her towards the nearest exit, "everything will be alright. You'll see."  
  
"Harry?" Ginny asked, "Do your aunt and uncle even know about me coming to stay with you?"  
  
Harry, shrugging, answered her with ease, "Dumbledore told me that he had taken care of it."   
  
She stopped walking. "What do you mean, 'taken care of it?'"  
  
He hadn't really thought about it, but when would he had have the time. The Headmaster had barely even been able to tell him, since everyone was in such a rush to get home (minus Harry and Ginny, of course). When it came right down to it, Harry really had no idea at all how the Headmaster had gotten the approval of the Dursley's on the situtation with Ginny.   
  
"Oh Ginny," Hermione said, "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure your parents know what's going on, and will fill you in before you arrive at the Dursley's."  
  
"Yeah, Gin," Ron piped in, "the trip over there, by muggle means, takes a while, and I'm sure that mum and dad will fill the two of you in."  
  
"I guess so. I'm glad that at least they are driving us over. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it would be driving with them."  
  
Under his breath, knowing that it was only way to make a comment of that type without being slapped, Harry murmured to Ron, "Just wait 'til meals. Oh, will she have fun." But, Ron, unaware to the reason Harry was whispering, gave his friend away by laughing.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"Harry Potter," Ginny said sternly, "Tell me this instant!"  
  
"You don't want to know," Ron pleaded, still trying to stifle his laughter.  
  
Cocking her head slightly to on side Ginny gave her brother a questioning glare, but before he could even notice she smack both him and Harry upside the heads. "I don't know what you said," she pointed to Harry, "but I don't appreciate any of it. I'm already scared enough as it is, and I don't need you two making comments about the situation."  
  
"Sorry," the muttered together, but Harry, knowing exactly how to get back on her good side, added in a hug and a quick kiss.  
  
"Well," she sighed, "alright then, but no more of it."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
During the entire drive to Number 4, Private Drive, Ginny sat clutching Harry's hand for dear life. Her parents, who were as nervous as she was, kept glancing back at her and then at each other. "I can't believe we are actually going to trust those muggles with our daughter. This is just-" Mrs. Weasley threw her hands into the air in dusgust, "Ugh!"  
  
"Mum?"  
  
"Yes Dear," Molly answered, a flutter in her voice.  
  
Ginny, who was leaving very deep nail impressions in Harry's hand, "Could you please leave the worring to me, and tell me how this is going to work."  
  
"Well," she started, "I'm not entirely sure how Albus did it, but the Dursley's agreed to be completely cooperative."  
  
Harry, thinking about what he would have to explain to his relatives, asked, "What do they know?"  
  
"Nothing," Mr. Weasley said, "nothing more than there is someone that needs to be protected from You-Know-Who."  
  
"So-"  
  
"So that means," he continued, "that you two will have to fill in those details when we arrive. Ginny, you'll have to go in under Harry's invisibility cloak, so that if anyone is tailing us, they won't see your belly."  
  
"I hope no one is," Ginny moaned, "that just means one more thing I have to worry about."  
  
"Which would make it the only thing you have to worry about, because everything else will turn out fine," Harry soothed. "Remember, only ten toes."  
  
"Only ten toes," Ginny laughed, "Got it."   
  
"Now Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, "You need to remember to stay indoors as much as possible. Do not leave the house unless absolutely necessary. As long as you're inside, no one will be able to see you or take you."  
  
"Take me?"  
  
The woman continued on, unaware of the change that came over Ginny, not only physically (her belly) but emotionally. The girl's face was the picture of panic. "Not to worry dear, there will be Order members keeping an eye on the house at all times."  
  
Clutching her large stomach, Ginny gasped, "Take me!"  
  
"Ginny-"  
  
"Harry, don't tell me to relax! I was just told that people are following me, and that they might try to kidnap me. So don't tell me to relax!"  
  
"We're here," Ron said, noticing that they had pulled up in front of a house with the number four on it.  
  
"This is it," Ginny whispered, "this is really it."  
  
"Here," Harry said, leaning over the back seat and into his trunk, handing her a shimmery silver-colored cloak, "you should probably put this on now."  
  
"Do you know what to tell them?" Ginny asked, as everyone started getting out of the car and removing and moving their trunks.  
  
"No, not yet. I want to wait to see how they react towards you being pregnant first," Harry whispered to her, or towards the direction that she last was.  
  
The air spoke to him, "Okay," and then kissed him gently on the cheek.  
  
Walking towards the house, Ron and Harry carrying one trunk, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley carried the other, the group stayed silent. It was odd. As Harry went to ring the bell, the door opened. Unfortunately, it opened to a very sturn looking Petunia.  
  
"Hello Aunt Petunia," Harry cheerfully spoke, "how was your year?"  
  
"Just fine," she spat, only the way she could. "Come in."  
  
Dudley, immediately noticing the Weasley's (by the hair) stopped eating and hurried to stand near his parents. "Do you think he remembers the twins?" Ginny, still hiding under the cloak, whispered into Harry's ear after noticing his cousin's reaction.   
  
Closing the door, Perunia turned to speak to Ron and Harry, completely ignoring Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "I don't know why you have to be protected," she said in a snake-like tone to Ron, "but let it be known right now that there is no talk of magic in this house. Nor is there any use of magic. But you can't use magic at home," she smirked, glaring at Harry, "can you?"  
  
"Actually," Mr. Weasley intervened, "the boys will be legal adults in the wizarding world. So, they can do magic while they are here." He feigned a smile to the rigid woman standing before him, "But Ron isn't the one who will be staying with you."  
  
"Then who?" Vernon demanded, "Surely not you."  
  
"No," Mrs. Weasley said, "My husband and I came only to get the children settled it. It's actually-"  
  
"Me," Ginny said. Removing the cloak, she was staning on the other side of the room. "I'm the one staying here."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me."  
  
"No. I'm the one who needs to be protected," Ginny moved next to Harry.  
  
"That's great," Dudley snickered, "Harry's whore needs protecting. What'd you do, sleep around too much?" he motioned to her stomach.  
  
Like magic, Arthur, Ron and Harry had there wands out and pointed at the boy, who now decided to try and hide his ginormus body behind his parents. Molly, now stood next to Ginny, holding the girl in her arms.  
  
"Remember that tail that you had removed, cousin?" Harry asked suggestively, "How would you like another one?"  
  
"Can we turn him into a ferret?" Ron sneered, "It looked so good on Malfoy, I'm just wondering what I would look like on filth like him."  
  
"Children," Mr. Weasley said, "No one will be hexing the boy." The Dursley's let out a sigh, thankful that there was an adult present. "I say we just remove a few body parts and be done with it. What do you say boy?" he asked Dudley, "Feel like becoming a soprano?"   
  
Although he was hiding behind his parents, Dudley didn't doubt for a second that what ever they group of wizards chose to do to him would not be sheilded by them. When Arthur made he last comment, and lowered the aim of his wand by about a foot, a squeal escaped the boy. When they had him quivering, the three placed there wands back inside thier robes. Harry immediately turned to make sure Ginny was alright, and then returned to face his relatives.  
  
"You should really teach him some manners," Harry muttered to his Aunt and Uncle. "Now, I don't know what Professor Dumbledore did to get you to allow Ginny to stay here, but let it be known right now that if Ginny isn't treated like royality in this house-hold, you will all regret the day-"  
  
"Harry," Ginny interrupted, "don't. I already have to deal with being in the same house with them, sometimes even in the same room, and I don't want to make the entire situation worse. But let this be a warning, Dudley, if you think that my father and brother are a force to be reckoned with, you should know that I have five more older brothers, all of leagal wizarding age. Not to mention the fact that I'm pregnant, and I might just forget my age." Ginny gave a quick smile, "If you catch my drift."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: This is just a friendly reminder that I'll be skipping the next post and instead posting the day after. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, while I'm on my road trip. Thanks for all of your SNIZZLES. I'm loving them. A lot of them actually help me in writing the next chapter.   
  
By the way, if you are unable to send snizzles, and you really want to snizzle, send me an email. I'm happy to get them. I used to not be able to submit them, because my computer didn't support pop-ups, but I cured it.   
  
Until next time! 


	45. Keeping Secrets

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY FIVE: KEEPING SECRETS  
  
"No! This isn't happening," she moaned between her labored breathing, "it's too soon!"  
  
"Relax. You need to relax."  
  
"How can I relax?" the young girl cried, pain coursing through her body as she suffered through another contraction. "I want my mother! I need Harry, please-" she begged, "where is he?"  
  
"I don't know, but hopefully he'll be here soon," the woman soothed, impatiently glancing at the nearest clock.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Harry," Ginny whined as she unpacked her clothes from the other trunk that her parents brought along. Most of them were maternity clothes, things that her mother had worn when she was pregnant. Although Ginny, being pregnant with twins, was huge the clothes were still too big for her. She wished that she could just continue to take the potions she was on while still at Hogwarts. "the next months are going to be hell, aren't they?"  
  
"Why would you say that?" Harry said, a little too chipper.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Ginny said, "maybe because I'll have to see your aunt, uncle and cousin on a daily basis?"  
  
"I doubt that you're going to see much of Dudley," Harry laughed, "you had him ready to pack his belongings and move out for the summer."  
  
"I wasn't that mean, was I?"  
  
"Ginny, I haven't seen my cousin that terrified since he met Hagrid, the day I first found out I was a wizard. You had him more afraid than when your father, Ron and I had our wands on him." Harry stopped rearranging the furnature in the room and sat down on his bed.  
  
"Don't mess with a pregnant woman," she said, sitting on her own bed, "especially when she's a Weasley."  
  
"Oh," Harry joked, "I think that's a lesson my dear cousin will never forget."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"This is one of the most important events of our lives, and Harry isn't here. I don't get it."  
  
"I'm sure that if my nephew would have known that you were planning to go into labor today, he would have made certain to be here," she said sarcastically, "but since this wasn't supposed to happen until you were back at school-"  
  
Sweat was covering Ginny's face as she gripped the bedsheet beneath her. Sending a glare at Petunia, she was able to manage a chorus of "Ha ha ha," before her next contraction started.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"HARRY POTTER GIVE IT BACK TO ME NOW!"  
  
Disrupted by the sudden yelling, Petunia ran up the stairs to where the noise was coming from. Entering the room, she expected to see Harry holding one of Ginny's books hostage, or even her needle work. But never did she imagine that Harry was dense enough to take away her food. "Harry? What are you doing?" she asked. "Give her back her snack. You should know better than to take food from a pregnant woman," her voice dropped to a volume that only he could hear, "especially Ginny."  
  
"She shouldn't be eating that!" he told her, pointing towards the bowl that Ginny was eating from.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Do you even know what it is, because I don't! But, what ever it is, it nearly burned my tounge completely off."  
  
"It's tabasco popcorn."  
  
"Why in the bloody hell would you give that to her?"  
  
Ushering her nephew out of the room, she told him, "Harry, she has a very specific taste. There isn't much she'll even eat. When I gave her the popcorn, it was too bland, so I added a bit of tabasco, but it still didn't have enough flavor, so she asked for the bottle-"  
  
"And you gave it to her!"  
  
"What did you expect me to do?" Petunia asked him, "Just tell her no? You've seen how she acts. I can't stand to see her cry, and I'm certainly not going to be on the recieving end of 'that' temper."  
  
Harry just nodded. In the past two months, he had been on the recieving end of Ginny's anger far too many times. Most of them just because he was there. Sighing, he asked, "How much did she add?"  
  
"Almost the entire bottle."  
  
"Is that healthy?"  
  
"Probably not," she said, "but that girl definately has the stomach for it."  
  
Harry laughed, "It's definately less revolting than her cravings for peanut butter and pickle sandwiches with cheese."  
  
"I'll be glad once she has those children of hers," Petunia giggled, "then I can stop making them."  
  
"Well," Harry said, "that won't be 'til school starts, and you've got another month until that happens."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Two hours had gone by, without a trace of anyone coming. They had tried to call the Weasley's, but no one answered. They even tried Fred and George's joke shop, and the Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately Gringott's didn't have a phone, or they would try there as well. Even the Granger's didn't pick up their phone. "If only Harry was here," Ginny muttered, "he could go and get them."  
  
"How would he do that?"  
  
"Apparate, or use floo. School is starting soon-" Ginny had to pause to breathe through another contraction, but continued where she left off, "less than two weeks, so mostlikely everyone is at Diagon Alley."  
  
'Where are you Harry?' she despirately thought, 'Why aren't you here?'   
  
There was more that she wanted to mentally ask Harry, but another contraction hit her. She knew that there would be pain involved, but she was planning on delivering in the hosptial wing at Hogwarts, not the bed room that she shared with Harry. At least, if things had gone according to plans, she would be able to take a pain killer. Madame Pomfrey could have conjured her a potion in a snap. But no. She was stuck here, with no way to contact anyone. If the Owl Post was speedier, she could just send Harry a note, but having Hedgewig find him would take twice as long as it normally would.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness you are finally here!" Petunia said, ushering a person through the doorway.  
  
"Who are-" Ginny breathed, "you?"  
  
The mysterious person just responded with a grin, "Don't you remember me?"  
  
Looking closer, Ginny noticed the pale eyes and the thinly hung body. "No! Petunia, what's going on? What is 'he'-" gritting her teeth, she suffered through another contraction, "doing here?" His eyes gave away everything, containing nothing but pure evil and hatred.   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Voldermort.  
  
"I'm sorry," a man's voice answered, "but your dear Petunia can't answer you. She's a bit 'tied up,' if you get what I'm saying."  
  
"Who- How?"  
  
"Polyjuice potions may taste horrible, but they have a way of making it all worth while."  
  
"You're-" she paused, "You're-"  
  
"Peter," he said, "But most people that you might know of called me wormtail."  
  
"Enough chatter," Voldermort demanded, "we've got a set of twins to deliver."  
  
Ginny's jaw dropped at his last words. "No. No. NO! This isn't happening. You can't take my babies-"  
  
"Oh, I can, and I will."  
  
"You can't have them!"  
  
Snickering, Voldermort rounded a corner and came face to face with Ginny, "It's not like they were yours to begin with."  
  
"What-" she attempted, but was distracted by pain.  
  
"What do I mean Miss Weasley?" he provided her, "I mean that they were created by me, to serve me."  
  
"No."  
  
"This pregnacy of yours was planned from the begining."  
  
"NO."  
  
"Yes. Every single event that has taken place in the past nine months, has been my doing."  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"How can you not? Your blowup at that holiday ball, or whatever it was called, was my doing. I controlled you, had you fly over the forest, and then had one of my minons attack. If only the memory charm we put on you and Potter would have worked."  
  
Ginny, wanting to know how exactly she could let someone so evil take control of her life without even knowing, egged him on. "What happened there?"  
  
"Wizard's error, but he's been corrected."  
  
"I don't under-" closing her eyes, she tried to breathe through the pain, but every second it kept getting worse, "understand. What do you want with my children? What good are they too you? They are just babies!"  
  
"Secrets are better left secrets, after all."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Sorry that I didn't get this up last night, my dad had the computer for business all night, so I couldn't even get online to type up a quick A/N. I really need to start writing chapters ahead of time. That way, I could have done a quick post, but no, I don't. Sorry (again) about not being able to update. At least this time it wasn't because of a test! I'm happy about that. But, I didn't make this chapter a lot longer than I was planning to. I was going to cut it, and post it, but I couldn't stop myself.  
  
Did you like this chapter? I know, it's a little confusing at first, with me skipping around, but I thought it would keep the story moving, and add a little more to the chapters. The 'flashbacks' are kinda like little reflections. I think I'll have them in the next chapter, too. Makes it more interesting, I think. 


	46. Very Good, Ms Weasley

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY SIX: VERY GOOD, MS. WEASLEY  
  
"I don't under-" closing her eyes, she tried to breathe through the pain, but every second it kept getting worse, "understand. What do you want with my children? What good are they too you? They are just babies!"  
  
"Secrets are better left secrets, after all."  
  
"You can't have them."  
  
Voldermort let out an evil cackle. "I don't think that you really have a choice," he said amused, "since your children seem to have a mind of their own. I don't think that you'll beable to stop them from being born. You may be stubborn, but I don't think that trait will help you out here."  
  
"Where is Harry?" Ginny asked, gritting her teeth in pain, "What did you do to him, and his aunt and uncle?"  
  
"As I said before, Ms. Weasley, they are tied up at the moment. Besides, it's not as though they actually cared for you."  
  
"Yes they do-"  
  
"Oh, you'd be surprised," he said, "how little they do. Potter's uncle, 'Vernon' he was only playing games to make his wife happy, and she was only friendly for the money."  
  
"What money?"  
  
"The large sum that was given to them to keep you safe. Hmmm, I wonder how much of it they will get. I mean, they did protect you for a while, but letting you fall into my hands? That has to be a major kink."  
  
Ginny shook her head, not willing to believe all of the lies that she was being fed. "No. You're making it up. I don't-"  
  
"Believe me? Well, I'm the only one you have left to trust, and I suggest you do," Vlodermort said mischievously. "Otherwise you will find it very hard to live with yourself while I am caring for your children."  
  
"No." Ginny's arms couldn't support her weight any longer. She tried to maintain eye contact with the man before her, but couldn't do it. She wanted to defy him as long as possible by not giving into his will, or her pain. But after her last contraction, she just couldn't do it anylonger. And, no matter how scared she was about what came next, her body relaxed as it laid against the soft bed.  
  
"Ah, good," Voldermort said, facing Peter who had just returned to the room. Ginny didn't even realize that he had left, but felt tension rise in her body when she saw what he returned with. "you've retrieved my 'tools.'"  
  
"Tools?" she asked, "For what?"  
  
"You don't just expect me to rip the children out of you, do you?" he responded. When she gave him a look of 'Duh!' he explained, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Obviously, not. I need them to be healthy if they are going to be any good to me."  
  
"As what? Death Eaters?"  
  
A chuckle escaped his lips as he rummaged through a bag of metal. "Much more than that Ms. Weasley. They will be greater than any mere Death Eater. They will be much more powerful, and capible of greater things than this world has seen since the begining of magic itself."   
  
Ginny let out a small grunt as she once again fought her way to an semi -upright posistion. "How?" she demanded.  
  
"Denser than those mudbloods that were caring for you," he said, shaking his head. "Really, I expected better from you. Can you not think of any reason that would make your children greater than the average witch and wizard?"  
  
"Their lineage?"  
  
"Not being of pureblood myself, I can tell you that lineage doesn't actually matter. I will admit that these children have a powerful background, but nothing that thousands of others don't have."  
  
"What ever happened to 'keeping secrets?'" Ginny asked him, as he continued to make clatters and clanks from inside his 'tool bag.'  
  
"Well," he murmured, "I thought you would have guessed it by now, and if there is one thing I inherited from my mudblood of a father, it's my lack of patients. Ahh," he exclaimed, finally coming across what he was looking for. "Now, surely you can think of something that makes your children stand apart."  
  
Ginny thought for a moment, but then realized what he was getting at, remembering something that the slimy git had said shortly after he arrived, "It's not like they were yours to begin with," she whispered to herself. But then defiantly declared, "It's the connection! It was never really a connection between Harry and me. It was formed between the twins. You want them because of their connection!" Her face winced in pain as another contraction took its course. She let out a slight cry and dropped back down to a laying posistion. Curling into a ball, she laid there, on her side, waiting for the pain to stop.   
  
When it finally did, she felt something cold clutch her arm and roll her onto her back. Realizing that it was Peter's metal hand, she tried to break free of it's grasp, but couldn't do it. He was too strong for her. Before she knew it, there were ropes, binding her to the bed by her wrists and shoulders. When another contraction came along, she experienced almost double the pain. The ropes cut into her as she wretched against them.  
  
"Very good, Ms. Weasley," he said as he approached her with a smile, "you finally got the correct answer, and I didn't even have to tell you." There was a patronizing tone in his voice, as if he was mocking and pitying her at the same time. "Now, how about you give us a nice big push?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"MUM!" Ron screamed through the house, "COME QUICK!"  
  
Rushing down the stairs, Molly Weasley finally found her son pacing the length of the kitchen. "What is it Ron?"  
  
"Something is wrong with Ginny!" he blurted, waiting for his mother to spring into action at his words.  
  
She didn't spring, though. Calmly she said, "Nonsense! She is perfectly safe with Dursleys. I checked in with her last night." Picking up a few of the cups and plates lying around the kitchen, she asked him, "Why would you think that there is something wrong with her?"   
  
"Mum, if nothing is wrong with her," he said, taking his mother by the shoulders and directing her into the next room, "why is her hand on the clock pointing at 'Peril?'"  
  
Looking at the face of the clock, for the first time during the course of the entire summer, Molly dropped the stack of dishes in her hands. "Go and get your father from the garden."  
  
"Mum?"  
  
"JUST GO!"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: I decided to go back to my normal way of posting, continuing from where I last left off in Chapter 45. A bunch of you said that you liked it, while a few others said that they were opposed. Fortunately, for those who I confused (SORRY!), my posting habits are not controlled by the majorities. If I am confusing some people, then I will go back to writing so my story makes sense.   
  
Thanks for all of your snizzles. I'm now over 700! YAY! I can remember when I was excited about getting my first review. Hmmm, memories! Thanks again, and again I'M SOOOOOO SORRY for confusing some of you. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it. 


	47. Veiled With Tears

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN: VEILED WITH TEARS  
  
"Harry! Thank goodness we found you!"  
  
"Ugh," he muttered, "not so loud Ron."  
  
"Oh, sorry," Ron said quietly, "it's just that we've been so worried about all of you," he pointed over his back towards his brothers, who were helping the Dursleys to their feet.  
  
"How did you even know?" Harry asked, as Ron helped him up.  
  
"I noticed that Ginny's hand on the-"  
  
Harry sprung up, yelling, "Ginny! Where is Ginny?"  
  
Ron looked sheepishly to the floor. "We don't know. We thought maybe you'd know. Mum and Dad are searching for her now."  
  
"No, we were attacked by Voldermort-" Harry said, begining to tell the whole story.  
  
"Voldermort!" It was the first that Harry had heard any of the other Weasleys in the room.  
  
"But Harry," Ron asked, "How is that possible? I thought that he couldn't attack you here. I didn't think that it was even possible for him to come in here."  
  
"Well, when he took my blood at the end of our fourth year, I guess it gave him the ability to enter the house. If it allowed him to touch me, it probably did that, too." Harry didn't really want to think about how he came to be bound and gaged in the basement of the Dursley's house. He just wanted to find Ginny and be sure that she was alright. Looking at Ron, Harry knew that if he cut his story now, he would never live down the amount of questions that he would ask. "But he didn't risk attacking me. He let that rat of a person, Peter, do that for him."  
  
"How did they even find you here?"  
  
Harry wasn't sure exactly who asked him the question. His head hurt from where he had been struck, and the Weasley boys all sounded somewhat similar. But there wasn't time to turn around and check who it was. "I don't know, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that they are here and that they have-"   
  
"NO!"  
  
All of them stopped dead when they heard the scream. "Bloody Hell," Harry muttered, "Ginny." Taking the stairs two at a time, the group headed towards the screams.   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"My," Voldermort said, "aren't they beautiful!" He had in his arms two new born children.  
  
"Please," Ginny begged, "don't do this. Don't take them from me!"  
  
"I'm sorry Ms. Weasley, but I'm afraid I've been planning this too long to just give up now. Besides, who's to stop me?" Voldermort turned his back to her, and moved towards the window where Peter stood, laughing. "Surely, not you. You are wandless, and just delivered twins."  
  
"What about us?" Voldermort, who was completely engrossed in his little speech, didn't even notice when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley entered the room. Now, they stood next to their daughter, wands at ready. "Surely you don't expect to allow you to walk out of here with our grandchildren, do you?" Mr. Weasley said.  
  
"Who said anything about walking?" Voldermort asked, handing one of the twins to Peter, "I am a wizard, am I not?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley raised her wand to his eye level, "You would never make it out of this room alive."  
  
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You try to kill me," he responded, "and I will kill them."   
  
At his words, both of the newborns started to cry, as if knowing the peril they were in. Tears came to Ginny's eyes, feeling completely helpless in the situation. She knew that Voldermort was completely serious when he said he would kill her children, but she couldn't let him leave with them without a fight. But, any resistance could also harm her children. It was a lose-lose situation.  
  
"Ah, I believe that would be our cue to leave." Holding the child in his arms slightly upward, he said, "Say good-bye to mommy!" Taking his wand from his assistant, Voldermort apparated from the room.  
  
"NO!" Ginny screamed, collapsing upon the bed, "No."  
  
Mrs. Weasley moved toward her daughter in an attempt to comfort her, "Ginny-"  
  
"Stay away from me." She cried, "Just leave."  
  
"But Ginny-" Mr. Weasley tried, but was abruptly interrupted by the door behind him being kicked in.  
  
"WHERE IS SHE?" Harry yelled, unable to see around the Weasleys. Both of them moved immediately to the side, to reveal a completely distraught girl, weeping uncontrolably on her bed. He moved next to the bed, unsure of what happened.   
  
Sitting up, she looked directly at Harry. "He took them," was all she had to say to make him fall to his knees. Taking her hand in his, he began to cry. Ginny, who's face was veiled with tears, laid down on the edge of the bed, her head resting on their clapsed hands. This was the sight that the six Weasley brothers and the three Dursleys walk in on.   
  
"What happened?" Petunia asked, a swell of pity taking over her.  
  
Mrs. Weasley, although wanting to do more, ushered them all out of the room. "They need time, alone." Once they were all downstairs, they explained what had happened.   
  
"We can't just wait here," Ron said once everything had been retold, "not when Voldermort has the children."  
  
"Well, we can't attack him," Percy said.  
  
Ron, not seeing the whole picture, asked his brother, "Why not?"   
  
"One, we don't know where he took them. Two, any type of attack puts the twins in the line of danger as well. And three,-"  
  
"They are alreay in danger!" Ron yelled, "Who knows what he is planning on doing to them."  
  
"They aren't going to be harmed, not physically at least. He needs them alive for what he's planning."  
  
"Ginny," Molly said, approaching the stairs, "You just delivered two babies, you shouldn't be up and about."  
  
"Mum," Ginny said, as Harry helped her down the stairs, "please, just don't." Both of them were still glassy-eyed.  
  
"We don't know exactly how far you've gone on an attack plan, but whatever it is, you can just forget about it," Harry said. "The only thing we want is for our children to be safe, and we know that they won't be harmed, not physically."  
  
"But allowing them to be raised by 'him?'" Arthur asked.  
  
"Please," Ginny begged, "Just listen to us."  
  
'They are only teenagers, how can we trust them to come up with something?' Arthur asked himself, but before he could doubt them for another second, Molly sent him a reassuring nod. "Alright," he said, "what's your plan?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Lately, a lot of you have been asking me why I don't write longer chapters. Why? Because I don't have time. It's not as if I have a stack of chapters sitting in my hard drive, waiting to be posted. No. I write the chapter immediately before I post it, and if I do write more than one chapter it's because I'm going to be gone so I'm double posting. I have a full schedule between practice every night, homework, tests, and work. I enjoy writing this story. It has never been about the size of the chapters to me. I could see if I only posted once a week, or once a month, or whatever, that the chapter lengths should be longer. I write good sized chapters. I know that a lot of people write longer ones, but they spend weeks/months writing them. And it's not like you don't know when I'm updating. Every-other-day, unless I tell you all different. Does the chapter length really make a difference? If it does I am more than willing to take couple of weeks to post a chapter.   
  
I'm sorry if you are one of the people who don't comment on length, you don't deserve this rant, but I needed to say it. I can take people saying, "Update Soon!" because I say it in my snizzles of other peoples stories, even when I know that they update a lot. I can handle it when someone comments to me about length, saying, "This one was a little on the short side," or something suggesting like that. What I can't handle is this: "How come you don't write longer bloody chapters?" People demanding that I write longer, when I don't have to even write at all.   
  
I started this story because I thought it would be fun, and it still is fun. But, if it gets to the point where all I'm doing is making other people happy, and not myself, then I will discontinue posting. I'll just email my chapters to the people who I know want to read it. I don't think I could actually get that upset, but right now, you never know.   
  
Thanks for all of the positive snizzles, I really appreciate them. And, thanks especially to the snizzlers who are reminding me of what JKR wrote, and of what I've written. Sometimes I forget things, but sometimes it's just part of the plot. Keeps ya on your toes!   
  
SNIZZLE! 


	48. The Letter

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT: THE LETTER  
  
"We don't know exactly how far you've gone on an attack plan, but whatever it is, you can just forget about it," Harry said. "The only thing we want is for our children to be safe, and we know that they won't be harmed, not physically."  
  
"But allowing them to be raised by 'him?'" Arthur asked.  
  
"Please," Ginny begged, "Just listen to us."  
  
'They are only teenagers, how can we trust them to come up with something?' Arthur asked himself, but before he could doubt them for another second, Molly sent him a reassuring nod. "Alright," he said, "what's your plan?"  
  
"We don't have a plan," Harry said, giving Ginny's hand a squeeze, "and we're not going to come up with one. Not now, anyways."  
  
"What do you mean," Fred asked, "are you just going to give up?"  
  
Ginny looked around the room at all of the confused and worried faces (most of them with red hair), "No, we aren't, but it's just too much right now to handle. Besides, he's going to be expecting us to come after him this second. Give us some time, and when we come up with something we'll let you know. But, until then, we don't want to talk about it."  
  
"But Ginny-"  
  
"No."  
  
"Alright then," Molly murmured, standing, "we'll leave it at that, for now. But, why don't we get you home, into your own bed. You'll sleep better."  
  
Ginny, although fighting to stay awake refused to give into sleep. "I'm not tired."  
  
"Ginny, dear," Molly insisting, "you need your rest. You just-"  
  
"Mum," Ginny said sharply, " I know. But you don't realize what it's been like here-"  
  
"I can only imagine," Ron muttered.  
  
"No, you can't, because you weren't here. This house has become like a second home to me, and I don't quite want to leave yet."  
  
"But, alone?" Arthur asked, moving behind his wife.  
  
Harry, knowing what Ginny was doing, took up her defense, "No, I'll be with her."   
  
"Then it's settled," Ginny said, "We'll stay here for a few more days, and head back later this week."  
  
"You could come with Hermione," Ron suggested, "She's planning on coming to the Burrow for the rest of the summer. I'll owl her, just to be sure, but I don't think she'd mind."  
  
"Thanks Ron," Harry said, "That'd be a big help."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Alright then," Petunia said after a long and uncomfortable silence, "Harry, why don't we get Ginny back up stairs and into bed?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
After long goodbyes, and looks of sympathy from the leaving Weasleys, Harry and his aunt moved Ginny back to the room that she shared with Harry. Once the two of them alone, they both set into action. Locking the doors, pulling out brooms, and changing into dark robes. When both were dressed, Harry opened the window and handed Ginny her broom.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this now?" he asked. "I mean, you're mother was right. You should rest after delivering two children."  
  
"I didn't 'deliver' them."  
  
Harry, completely confused, asked, "What do you mean?"  
  
"You know that whole story that my mother and Madame Pomfrey told us about there being no easy way to deliver children using magic? Well, they were wrong. There is an easier way, it's only twice as painful."  
  
"So-"  
  
"I'll tell you more later," Ginny said, "right now, let's just get them back."  
  
Harry, more than ready to follow her lead, removed a sealed envelope from his desk and placed it on his bed. Removing the locks from the door, he gave a nod to Ginny, telling her to take off. As she exited, Harry mumbled an invisibily charm over her, and then flew off after her, saying the same spell over himself.  
  
"Ginny," Harry yelled to her over the wind looking towards the glimmer of her figure, "How do you know where to go?"  
  
"I don't," she shouted back to him, "but there was something that Peter said that gave me a clue."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Petunia, carrying a tray of food, knocked lightly on her nephew's bedroom door. When no one answered, she entered, assuming that he, and his girlfriend were sleeping. Glancing at the beds, and then looking towards the window, she knew without even reading the note that was left on one of the beds, where they had gone. She was tempted to not even read it, already knowing why they left. But, she read it.  
  
"Dear Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon,  
  
I hope that I will just be able to burn this letter, when Ginny and I are safely back at Hogwarts, and the twins have been born. Something, that you already are aware of, has happened to James and Maggie. We can't predict what, but Ginny and I decided a long time ago to be prepared for the possibilty.  
  
Please, cover for us, for as long as possible. If any one from the wizarding world, especially Ginny's family, tries to call, owl, or attemps contact us in any way, keep them in the belief that we are sleeping, being so tired and upset over what has happened.   
  
Ginny and I need to do this alone. Hopefully you understand this. If any one else would come along, everything would become more complicated. We are going to find them. No matter what it takes, we will find them and bring them home.  
  
I know that we, as a family, have never been close. There has always been some sort of resentment on either side. But, being here, coming back this summer, with Ginny, something has changed. That is why I am asking this of you. It is the only thing I have ever come to you with, and if you can keep up your end of this, I will never come to you again. I know I am asking a lot of you. Thank you.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Harry Potter.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Thanks all, for understanding. Life is really hectic. Between having a play competition in three days (and being nowhere ready), a math test at the end of the week, and memorizing all of my symbols and charges for chemistry (by mid next week) life is a little busy. I know that this chapter is short, but it is so for all of the reasons that I just stated. This should hold you over for the next two/three days. I should be able to post on the weekend. After my competition, or on Sunday maybe. I don't know. Thanks again for all of the support and understanding. I know that most of you don't mean it the way it sounds, and I know that. I've always have. It's just the way that one or two people put it that gets to me. SNIZZLE! 


	49. Revelations

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FORTY NINE: REVELATIONS  
  
"Ginny," Harry yelled to her over the wind looking towards the glimmer of her figure, "How do you know where to go?"  
  
"I don't," she shouted back to him, "but there was something that Peter said that gave me a clue."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
The lights of the cities and towns burned softly in the sky, fading as thier distance grew greater. When the two were far enough away, and high enough to only look like shimmers and shadows, Harry removed the charm. He hadn't the slightest clue where he was being led. The clouds were layered across the sky, making the landscape hard to make out. Through the empty patches, he thought he recognized the order of natural landmarks. A river, few hills, followed by a vast medow and then a small mountain range. The pattern seemed to be endless, but familiar.  
  
They flew on and on, keeping constant in speed. Stopping never was an option, nor did it cross their minds. It wasn't until the sun was starting to peak over the horizon that Harry finally knew where Ginny was taking him. Below him was a small town, a train station tucked neatly into one corner of it. Directly across from the station, where a large engine sat almost dormant, was a lake. Small ripples, rising from below the surface and beating steadily against the shore. On the edge of the water sat a bench below a mighty tree, and just up the hill from there stood a castle, strong and true.  
  
Harry took in everything around him as his broom came closer to the ground, his feet softly landing. Behind him Ginny landed and walked to his side, taking his hand. "Hogwarts." Although no one was around him, Harry whispered so only she could hear. "Home. It's so strange being here, knowing that the classrooms and dormitories are empty, and that the other students, our friends, won't arrive for another couple of weeks."  
  
"Harry," Ginny said, looking into his eyes, "I know that this place has been a home to you, but if there is one thing that I have learned, it is that 'home' is where you make it. It's where love is, and as far as I am concerned, our home is where ever we end up. You, me and the twins." A tear rolled down her cheek, "But we have to find them first."  
  
"Why did you lead us here?" Harry asked, "What did Peter say that made you think of Hogwarts?"  
  
"Well, I didn't really think anything of it until we were downstairs, at your aunt and uncle's," she replied.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It wasn't exactly 'Peter,' I thought it was your aunt." Ginny starting walking, taking Harry along with her, as she told her story. "He said it the right before my water broke. We were in the kitchen, talking about what we were going to do after the twins were born. I said that by they time they were born, that we'd already be back at school. The conversation went on like that for a while, just questions and answers about our plans for the future. But there was one point where she- or he asked me if Professor Dumbledore ever found the cabin where we were taken last winter. I never thought anything strange about but explained that the forest was searched.  
  
"It wasn't until I saw your Aunt, the real one, in the living room. She was so uncomfortable around my parents and brothers. I thought it so strange how she could become so used to having me and you in the house, but could barely keep it together when any other person with magical powers came near her. It was that nervousness that she had when we first came there during the summer. I remembered what she said, to you and Ron, 'I don't know why you have to be protected.' It hit me that she never actually knew how I became pregnant. She wouldn't have know about the cabin. It got me thinking about why Peter would want to know if the cabin was ever found."  
  
"And why is that?" Harry asked, stopping at the castle door.  
  
"Because if it couldn't be found, then it could be reused."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: I know, I'm being confusing again, but there were things in the last few chapters that I specifically left out. The "flashback" chapter gave me a lot of open ends, depending on where I wanted to take the story. I wasn't sure, and I'm still not specifically sure. Please don't send me a whole lot of snizzles about how what was in this chapter wasn't in any of the last chapters. There was a reason.  
  
By the way: 800 SNIZZLES! Wow. This is a huge moment. I've only been writing this story for, what? Three months, maybe less? If I could whistle, I would right now, in astonishment. Thanks for all of it. Sad to say, but this story won't be going for too much longer. No, before you even think it, I'm not quitting, I'm bringing the story to an ending. There probably will be a second part to it. Not sure yet. But, I am sure that I will take a vacation between stories. Probably no more than a month. I think, not sure, but I think that I might (when this story is done) write a little fiction about what happened during the summer at the Dursleys. It'd only be a few chapters long. If I do, then I'll do it during my "vacation" so that I can keep you posted on whats going on with the sequel.  
  
That's all for now. 


	50. Power of Persuasion

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY: POWER OF PERSUASION  
  
"Because if it couldn't be found, then it could be reused."  
  
"Ginny," Harry said, stopping her movement, "What do you mean 'reused?'"  
  
"Harry, think about it! People hardly ever return to the scene of the crime when commiting a second crime. Especially when that place is magically impossible to find. That's why it gets ruled out, but it makes perfect sense that Voldermort would go back to that cabin-"  
  
"And why is that?" Harry asked, "He maybe evil, but-"  
  
"No, Harry. He IS evil. There is no buts about it. Voldermort is back at that cabin, with our children. He went back there because he wants us to find him."  
  
"But from what you said before, we wouldn't think to try and find the 'scene of the original crime.'"  
  
Ginny was becoming tired of standing and talking. She wanted to move, run. She wanted to hunt down the bastard that took her newborn children and kill him. She wanted Harry to shut up so she could. "Please Harry, just try not to anaylze it so much. Put yourself in his shoes."  
  
"I'd rather not," Harry snickered.  
  
"Well, try! He tracks us down, takes James and Maggie. He expects us to come after them, what parents wouldn't? He wants us to find, but not right away. Voldermort wants us to suffer with our loss."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"You should know that better than anyone Harry," she murmured. "Losing people that you love is a fate worse than death." Harry took on a solem expression, understanding exactly what she meant. Continuing, Ginny took his hand, "He wants a fight. The only thing Voldermort wants is Power, and the only way to get it is to fight you. No matter what you believe, Harry, you are powerful. He knows it, I know it, Bloody Hell Harry! Everyone but you recognizes the fact, and unless you do, our children are in danger."  
  
Harry, although he trusted Ginny, was unsure of what she wanted to do was right. "But walking into a trap?"  
  
"Knowing there is a trap is the first step in avoiding it," Ginny said, quoting a movie*** that she fell in love with over the summer, "And we've got the advantage thanks to his disadvantage of an assistant."  
  
"Gin, no one has been able to find that cabin! The forest has been searched numerous times, and no trace of it has been found. It may not even be on the Hogwart's grounds!" Harry exclaimed, "How are we supposed to do what so many have failed at?"  
  
"You tell me," Ginny asked releasing his hand, "You're the boy who lived."  
  
Before Harry could stop her, Ginny started off into the forest. "Ginny, please, just wait a moment."  
  
"Wait? For how long Harry?" Ginny shouted at him. "He has them! Don't you get that? He has our children, our babies. I can barely breathe, let alone wait, knowing that he has them."  
  
"You said that we have the advantage in this whole thing," Harry yelled after her, "but what good is an advantage when you don't use it?"  
  
Ginny stopped, turning around to answer him. "How am I not using it?"  
  
"You're letting your emotions get the best of you. I may be over thinking, but you aren't thinking at all. We should be taking the time that we saved from you figuring out where he took them, to prepare. We don't know how many deatheaters he's got in there-"  
  
"We've gone up against deatheaters before, and suceeded."  
  
"No, you, your brother, Hermione, Neville, Luna and I have gone against deatheaters, together. And we would have been defeated if it wasn't for the Order's good timing. We can't just go blazing in there, there is more at stake this time."  
  
"I know that!"  
  
"Then listen to me," Harry pleaded, "If there is one thing that I've learned, throughout all of my years at Hogwarts, its that preparation is more important that power. If I would have stopped to think about the situation, before all of us went down to the Ministry of Magic two years ago, a lot of things would be different."  
  
"You're right," Ginny sighed, "a lot of things could be different than what they are now. But I can't wait Harry. I am willing to risk my life to save them."  
  
"What do I have to do to persuade you?" Harry asked her, becoming frustrated, "IF you find that cabin, and you go in there, you will lose your life, and you will endanger the lives of our children. Please Ginny, wait."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Sorry about how long it has taken me to get this up, and I'm really sorry about how short the chapter is, too. I've been trying to find time to write, but with the end of the first quater coming up, and teachers trying to get their tests in, it's kinda hectic. Plus, with all the falls sports playoffs starting, all the clubs that I am in are on school spirit overdrive. Not to mention that the next Drama competition is in 8 days. There is a lot of pressure. But, a GINORMUS THANK YOU for not pressuring me. I really appreciate that posting (49 out of 50 times) is a way to relax.  
  
To liven things up a little, and since I haven't done one in a while, here's a question: What movie (***) is Ginny talking about? There is a possibility of two answers to this question. The classic Lemon Snizzles to the snizzler whoever can get it before I post next. 


	51. It's Losing You

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE: IT'S LOSING YOU  
  
"We've gone up against deatheaters before, and suceeded."  
  
"No, you, your brother, Hermione, Neville, Luna and I have gone against deatheaters, together. And we would have been defeated if it wasn't for the Order's good timing. We can't just go blazing in there, there is more at stake this time."  
  
"I know that!"  
  
"Then listen to me," Harry pleaded, "If there is one thing that I've learned, throughout all of my years at Hogwarts, its that preparation is more important that power. If I would have stopped to think about the situation, before all of us went down to the Ministry of Magic two years ago, a lot of things would be different."  
  
"You're right," Ginny sighed, "a lot of things could be different than what they are now. But I can't wait Harry. I am willing to risk my life to save them."  
  
"What do I have to do to persuade you?" Harry asked her, becoming frustrated, "IF you find that cabin, and you go in there, you will lose your life, and you will endanger the lives of our children. Please Ginny, wait."  
  
"What for?" Ginny asked him, "So we can think about something to do?"  
  
"It's better than springing into action!"  
  
Ginny was becoming frustrated. She knew that what Harry was saying made sense, but if everything made sense, then she wouldn't be the mother of twins. Hell, she wouldn't be a witch. "I'd rather spring into action that just sit here!"  
  
"This is getting us nowhere Ginny! Just yelling back and forth," Harry said, sitting down and leaning against a tree, "we might as well just give up-"  
  
"NO! We can't!"  
  
"We don't know how to uncover the cabin, nor do we have a plan or attack!" Harry shouted, "How are we supposed to save them?"  
  
"I don't know," Ginny said, sinking against a tree across from him, "I don't know."  
  
"Then let's ask for help."  
  
"We can do this on our own?" Ginny insisted, "We don't need their help."  
  
"How do you figure?"  
  
"Harry, we're their parents, we shouldn't have to run to someone's side for help everytime something goes wrong!" She yelled, "We're adults now, and we should-"  
  
"Know when to ask for help?" Harry offered, "or know when we need help, or know when to give up?"  
  
"I am not giving up!"  
  
"I'm not asking you to! Please, Ginny," Harry begged, moving to her, "Will you please just listen to me? I don't want to give up, but we can't do this on our own. It's too big. There's too much at risk."  
  
"What good does it do them if we don't save them?" Ginny asked, "Why won't you think about the risk to Maggie and James if we don't get them out of there and away from him?"  
  
"Because he won't hurt them. He needs them," he said, "I don't know why, but I know that Voldermort wouldn't have go to all the trouble to take the children, if he didn't really need them. But, if we go marching in there ('If we can even find the place,' he thought,) we not only risk our lives, but theirs as well."  
  
"But-"  
  
"NO!" Harry yelled, "No buts! I won't lose you. I won't. I love you too much to even risk your life, and that is what's at danger here. They won't be harmed. Don't you see? The risk isn't losing them, it's losing you."  
  
"They are our children-" Ginny stood up, unable to sit still any longer.  
  
"And as you stated, they aren't at any harm," Harry said, standing to meet her, "But you? You are the love of my life."   
  
"Alright," Ginny sighed in defeat, "Who do we ask? Where do we go for help?"  
  
"Well," Harry said, looking around him, "why not ask the greatest power we know?"  
  
"Dumbledore?"   
  
"Why not?" Harry asked her, leading her towards the castle, "We are at Hogwarts."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Harry and Ginny made there way upto the castle. Although anyone watching would have seen them running, to Ginny they couldn't have traveled any slower. To her, it seemed that Harry was leading her in circles around the grounds, instead of directly to the door. Harry, though he was moving as fast as possible to the nearest entrance, was taking in all of the scenes around him. Normally, when he looked at the grounds, they were fully of life, of children. Some flying in the quidditch pit, while some just sitting under a tree reading a book. In winter there would be students, bundled in layers of themed clothing, having magical snowball fights (beware of the heat seaking snowball, they'll get you every time!) or trudging through the meters of snow, on their way to class.   
  
Many times Harry found him self imagining the people he knew in the spots he remembered them in. The exact spot where he and Ron had landed after being whomped by the whomping willow during second year, the tower that he narrowly escaped crashing into during his first flying lesson, his first quidditch match, watching Ron throw-up slugs, diving into the lake for the second task of the Tri-wizard Tournament, talking Ginny into going to her party the weekend he found out he was going to be a father. So many memories, in only six years. It seemed that he had more memories in those six years, that he did in the decade that he spent with his aunt and uncle. Sure, not all of them were of happy times, and some were the worst experience of his life. But there they all were, playing out in front of his eyes, as he made his way to the castle.   
  
To Harry, although he wanted the children back as much as Ginny did, didn't want to move. He wanted to stand there, taking in all of the moments and memories, until he burst at the seems. But then, his mind flashed, to seeing his graduation, and Ginny's graduation. Recieving Maggie and James' Hogwarts letters, and shopping with them in Diagon Alley. Placing them on the Express, and taking them off after all of their years, until finally its there turn to graduate, have children, and watching the same things over and over again. Now, a speed that once seemed to move so slow, like snowflakes on an upwards breeze, was racing towards his death, moments that hadn't even been lived, memories that wouldn't be there for years to come. It wasn't any sort of 'vision,' no it was just his imagination running.  
  
Crashing to a halt, into Ginny's backside, bringing him back to reality.   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Again, sorry about the long wait. I had sectional competition for drama yesterday, but we didn't advance. It was a really unfair situation and the entire cast is really pissed, but we'll survive. However, I'm not going to let my disappointment affect my writing. I can't, because then I would kill off everyone. But, I have decided that I want to have this story finished in 5 more chapters. I don't think that I will be able to do it, but it is a nice goal to have set. My guess is that it will take me between 6 and 9, who knows. Oh, and sorry for the short chapter, but I don't have a lot of time to write, but I figured that something would be better than nothing. And, if you are wondering, my posting delay isn't just because of drama and other school stuff. I am also having problems trying to figure out how to end the story, at least end it enough that I can leave it for a month or two, and pick it back up in a sequel. If you've got any ideas, Snizzle!  
  
Speaking of Snizzles, OVEN ROASTED LEMON SNIZZLES to [Warden] for knowing that the movie that I was talking about in the last chapter was "Dune." However, "Children of Dune" (the sequel) was also acceptable. They're awesome movies, really, and if you ever find the time to watch them, you should. They each are 6 hours long, but both are split into 2 hour segments. Every now and again, Sci-fi will have a marathon and show all 6 parts.   
  
Oh, by the way, I'm going to post another chapter this weekend. I've already cleared my schedule for that day, so nothing will stop me from writing. So, please, tell me your suggestions. I really need to hear them. 


	52. Of Love

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO: OF LOVE  
  
"Harry," Ginny said, catching her balance against the giant doors infront of her, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Huh," he muttered, snapping out of his trance, "what did you say?"  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
"What are we waiting for?" Harry asked, realizing that they were standing on the wrong side of the door.  
  
Nervously, Ginny reached for the door handle. She thought that it would be locked, but surprisingly, it wasn't. "That's strange," she whispered, pulling open the great doors, and entering the school.   
  
"What is?" Harry asked, following close behind her.   
  
"The door-"  
  
"What about it, Gin?"  
  
"It was open."  
  
Harry was becoming confused, "And what's so strange about it?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not sure," she replied, "but I always thought that it would be locked. It just seems strange that with everything going on in the world that the school would be safer locked."  
  
"It's not like anyone, other than a few of the teachers, are here," Harry commented, "it would just be a wasted effort."  
  
"I'm not so sure about that," Ginny said, unable to shake the feelings that were washing over her about the situation.  
  
"Let's just-"  
  
"Mr. Potter? Miss Weasley?" a voice called from above them.  
  
"Professor McGonagall?" the couple replied in unison.  
  
"What in the name of Merlin are you two doing here?" she asked, decending the stairs. "You know," she continued, off in her own world, "it isn't safe for you Miss Weasley to be traveling in your 'condition,' it's a risk to both mother and child, or should I say children."  
  
A tear came to Ginny's eye, but she quickly swept it away before anyone could notice it. "Unfortuately Professor, flying isn't dangerous anymore."  
  
"YOU FLEW!" the woman shouted, the distance between them shortening, "You were told specifically not to fly while pregnant."  
  
"You're missing the point," she said defiantly.  
  
"The point is that you can't be so wrekless with your health. You're caring for more than just yourself."  
  
"Professor-" Harry tried to intervine.  
  
"-And you Mr. Potter shouldn't have let her. They are your children, too."  
  
"I'M NOT PREGNANT!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Minerva questioned, shocked by the girl's volume, but still oblivious to the facts.  
  
"Open your eyes Professor," Ginny spat, "and take a look. You're missing the BIG picture." Placing her hands on her 'deflated' stomach, she turned to show the woman her profile, truely revealing the situation that was being missed.  
  
"You're not pregnant?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh," she said, feeling slightly embarassed, "well, then."  
  
"That's why we need your help," Harry said, moving between Ginny and their professor, "they've been taken, our children have been taken."  
  
"Taken?" she questioned, "But by who?"  
  
"Who else," another voice boomed, filling the room with a reassuring sound, "but Voldermort?"  
  
"Professor Dumbl-" Ginny started, feeling the tears sting her eyes, and the heat rising from her cheeks, but was interrupted.  
  
"Not here," he spoke quickly, his eyes darting around the room as he cut her off. "Why don't we have this conversation in my office."  
  
All parties nodded to the suggestion, moving swiftly behind the graying man, giving eachother sideways glances of uncertainty as they moved. It was a strange thing, for Harry and Ginny to see such fear and nervousness in their teacher, their mentor. This man, the greatest wizard, now seemed scared. There was something about his voice that was off.   
  
The entire way to his office, the only sound was that of their hurried foot steps. No one spoke, no one dared to. Something about the rush, the insecurity of the entire situation. When he spoke the password, his voice quivered, slightly. But, to a perceptive wreck like Ginny, it was clear as day. When the were in the safety of the inner office, surrounded by the Headmasters of old, Ginny came right out with her suspicions. "You're afraid."  
  
"Miss Potter, please-" Professor McGonagall started, outraged by the thought.  
  
"Minerva," Dumbledore said, raising a hand to slience her, then turning to Ginny. "You're very preceptive."  
  
"Then it's true," she asked, only recieving a nod, "But why?"  
  
"For the same reasons you are."  
  
"Then you know," Harry said, "you know about the kidnapping?"  
  
"Yes, I was informed of it immediately afterwards," he said, controlling the quiver, "that is why I sent for these."   
  
Harry and Ginny moved in the direction that he was gesturing. There, on a tray in the middle of the desk, were two pieces of blank and tattered parchment. One seeming relatively new, while the other appeared worn and tattered from constantly being folded. Harry recognized the ratty one immediately. "The Marauder's Map," he gasped, "but what is this one?" he asked, picking up the clean sheet of paper.  
  
"A map," the man replied simply.  
  
"A map?" Ginny's face twisted, trying to understand how a blank piece of parchment was equivilant to a map, "but there's nothing on it."  
  
"Ah, but there is nothing on the other one, either."  
  
"Then it must have a password, like the other one." Removing his wand from with in his clothing, he pointed it at the blank parchment. From memory, Harry quoted, "I honestly swear I am up to no good."  
  
Wrong answer.  
  
Immediately after finishing his sentance, Harry was sent flying across the room, landing against the lower half of a bookcase. "Ouch."  
  
"Harry!" Ginny gasped, "Are you alright?"  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"Ah," Dumbledore chuckled, "You would think that it had the same key, wouldn't you, but just because the two are similar, doesn't mean that they are identical. On the contrary, they are very different."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Well, for one, they were created for different reasons, different times of need."  
  
"Then how are they similar?" Harry asked, a hand on his now sore back.  
  
"By the type of magic that was used to created them."  
  
Spinning around, Harry saw someone he never would expect to see. There, closing the office door behind him, was none other than one of the original masterminds behind the 'all seeing map.' Professor Remus "Moony" Lupin.  
  
"I thought that, since the 'original' map was created by the Marauders," Dumbledore said, "then another one could be created by the only remaining one."  
  
"I must say," Remus said, "I thought that it would be impossible to create another map, without the others, but it wasn't as difficult as a suspected."  
  
"Then," Harry started, "if it's already created, how do you open it. I've already tried the other password, and I know it doesn't work," he said, continuing to rub his back.  
  
Remus, having decided to play it Dumbledore's way after first arriving, continued with the riddles. "And you've already been given the answer."  
  
"We don't have time for this!" Harry shouted.  
  
Almost silently, Ginny picked up the fallen sheet of parchment. Removing her wand she held it to the crisp blank sheet, but decided, that just incase she got it wrong, that she should probably sit. Moving to a nearby chair, she accidently knocked over a stack of books resting on it's armrest.  
  
Turning at the sudden comotion, Harry yelled to her, "Ginny! NO!"  
  
Taking no heed in his warning, she continued with her idea, whispering, "I honestly swear that my intentions are of love."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Thanks for all of the snizzles. They are great, but if you think of anything while you are reading, anything that could help me out with finishing the story, please tell me. I really do want to hear it. Thanks a lot, hope you liked this chapter! 


	53. There Will Always Be Help

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY THREE: THERE WILL ALWAYS BE HELP  
  
Almost silently, Ginny picked up the fallen sheet of parchment. Removing her wand she held it to the crisp blank sheet, but decided, that just incase she got it wrong, that she should probably sit. Moving to a nearby chair, she accidently knocked over a stack of books resting on it's armrest.  
  
Turning at the sudden comotion, Harry yelled to her, "Ginny! NO!"  
  
Taking no heed in his warning, she continued with her idea, whispering, "I honestly swear that my intentions are of love."  
  
A brillant light emerged from the center of the paper, pure and blinding. All but Ginny frantically covered their eyes. She however was amazed at the sight before her. Hundreds of thousands of tiny dots appeared upon the blank page, sparkling and dancing, swirling and curling. Drawing boundaries, buildings and roads alike, and although the sheet was small, the map was expansive. It covered the distance of the entire forest, starting at the school and working its way out ward. She never realize how large it actually was. Thinking back nearly nine months, she realized that in her distraught stage what seemed as though she was flying over the entire forest, was actually a distance barely even one tenth of half of the forest.  
  
Still the blazing light shown brightly, black pixels now filling in the smaller details. Trees became roughly outlined, along with caves and hollows, clearings and dwelings, each with their characteristics. There were hundreds of different areas, belonging to thousands of different creatures. Some living peacefully together, while others were solitary in clans. Slowly, the light began to fade, absorbing itself into the inner workings, becoming part of the map itself. The lines shimmered with the warmth of it, glowed with the pureness.  
  
As hands, arms and cloaks were drawn down from eyes and faces, they were immediately returned. For, when their defences were down, the light blazed yet again. Bursting forth from the center, it created a spout that washed down upon the edges of the pages, creating a flowing script that encircled the entire map. Quietly, with wide eyes, Ginny began to read, calling the others to her as she spoke.  
  
"Love's true light and deepest desires brings forth in lovers the purest of fires.   
  
Burning deep within each being's heart, it's the passion of stars, an immense work of art.   
  
So raw, so pristine, so full of beauty; no evil can withstand its exemplar glory."   
  
The light faded into a bleak text, barely noticable against the imagery within. Harry carefully withdrew the map from Ginny's fingers, unsure of what it might do next. Slowly turning towards Remus, he asked, "What does that mean."  
  
"I think the question to be asking," he started, 'is not 'what does it mean,' but, where did it come from?"  
  
Professor McGonagall looked preplexed, though it might have been her eyes trying to regain focus. "You didn't put it there?"  
  
Shaking his head, Remus took the map from Harry, carefully examining every aspect of the parchment. "I'm afraid not Minerva," he said. "That entire 'presentation' was new to my eyes."  
  
"Didn't you unlock it before now?"  
  
"Of course I did Albus. I opened it many times, checking and double checking every aspect of it," Remus tossed the map onto the grand desk, next to the older one. "I spent the whole of a month doing nothing but making sure it was in perfect working order."  
  
"A month?" Ginny questioned, "An entire month on just checking it? But that means you've been working on it for-"  
  
"Almost six months. I started working on it soon after the search for your myserious 'cabin' was halted. I've opened it countless times, but never," he yelled, "NEVER has it done that."  
  
"Close it."  
  
"What?" Harry asked.  
  
Ginny repeated herself, "Close it, and reopen it. See what it does, if it does it again."  
  
"Alright, I see what you're getting at," Remus said, tapping the parchment, clearing it of all contents. "Here," he handed the paper to Harry, "you try it."  
  
"I honestly swear that my intentions are of love," he spoke, holding his wand in the direct center of the blank paper. Like frost upon a window, lines began to creap across, filling in the details of the forest. But there was no light, no brillance or beauty. There wasn't even a hint of script upon the edges. "How is this possible?" Harry asked, tapping the map and handing the blank piece to the next person to try it.   
  
Person after person, the map did nothing of important significance. It was just the same frost-like drawing that Harry had gotten. Even Dumbledore was slightly disappointed when the map plainly drew itself in. Grimly, he cleared the map and handed it to Ginny. Not sure what to expect, not even sure why she was trying, she spoke the key, "I honestly swear that my intentions are of love," and watch in awe as a pure white light washed over the parchment revealing a map. Looking up for answers, she found none. All were as confused as she.  
  
"How?" she asked, "Why?"  
  
"Magic works in mysterious ways," Dumbledore responded with a slight chuckle, "it isn't always what we want it to be, nor does it always do what we intend it to. Magic has a mind of it's own, it's own intentions. It is impossible to explain."  
  
Gasping, as if searching the room for air, Ginny was horror struck as she looked down upon the map. There was a new item seated in the center of the forest, surrounded by various dots scattered about, with various names. Each seemed to be stationed around a small square. But there were so many dots gathered within it, it was impossible to tell who each one represented. "The cabin," Ginny whispered, calling more attention to herself, "But I can't see anything, it's too small." Defeated, a tear rolled down her cheek, "This could be anything!" she exclaimed to the people around her. "If only it were bigger!"  
  
As if by command, a square appeared around the area inquestion. Slowly the box expanded, zooming in on the small square, which was now being revealed as a house. Exterior and interior became more definate, more visable, mainly showing two circles of guards. One group was surrounding a smaller group of people, while the other was protecting only two dots. Oddly, there were twice as many people circling the two dots, as there were surrounding the group, making it obvious as to who the two were.  
  
"We've found them," she whispered, releasing a few more tears, "Harry! This is them, right here!" Ginny pointed to the two warded dots. As she pointed, names appeared, hovering slightly about. One read James Potter while the other read Maggie Potter.   
  
"We've found them, alright," Harry said, hugging Ginny, "but now, how do we get to them? How do we get to them without risking their lives?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Ginny said, settling into his arms, "We can't do it alone. Look at all of those guards! Not only the ones protecting the room they're in, but the ones on the outside of the building, too. I'll bet the place is just crawling with alarms waiting to be set off. Who knows how many we'd have to go up against!"  
  
"Professor," Ginny said, removing herself from Harry's embrace, "We need your help."  
  
"I'm afraid Ms. Weasley," Dumbledore spoke, "that I cannot help you."  
  
"What?" she asked, echoed by both Professors Lupin and McGonagall.  
  
"You must do this on your own. You and Harry."  
  
"Please," she pleaded, tears running down her cheeks, "you can't be serious! There is no possible way that we could go in there and come out alive."  
  
"I'm sorry, but-"  
  
"But nothing Professor," Harry interrupted, "Didn't you once tell me that help will always be given to those who ask for it?" Dumbledore met his gaze, and what were once loving and strong pools, were now glazed over. "Well," Harry continued, "here I am, here we are asking you for help. Please Professor. Please if not for us, then for our children."  
  
Dumbledore looked around his office, at the faces that were meeting him. The determined gazes of people who needed him, who were asking for his help, but could he give it?  
  
"Well Professor, what is your answer?" Ginny demanded.  
  
Could he give it? Could he risk it? Every person was urging him to respond, hoping for what they wanted to hear. He was standing between a rock and a hard place, uncertain of the affects of what either choice could bring. "I guess, my answer is-"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Oh! Cliff hanger! I'm so cruel sometimes. But, I finally was able to find time to write and post! Yay! The wait could not be avoided, and I'm not sorry about it, either. If I would have been able to update sooner, it wouldn't be the same story that I would have written. That's just fate for you. Hope you enjoyed this one, I really tried my hardest to make it my best. 


	54. Coming Together

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR: COMING TOGETHER  
  
"Well Professor, what is your answer?" Ginny demanded.  
  
Could he give it? Could he risk it? Every person was urging him to respond, hoping for what they wanted to hear. He was standing between a rock and a hard place, uncertain of the affects of what either choice could bring. "I guess, my answer is that I'm not sure."  
  
"Albus, are you serious?" Minerva asked, shocked by his answer. "You aren't going to help them?"  
  
"I didn't say that-"  
  
"But you didn't say that you would, either!" Remus butted in saying.  
  
"Does that mean that the two of you are willing to fight with us?" Ginny asked, raising her head. Her face was streaked with tears. Tears of joy, from finding her babies. Tears of fear, from looking at the guard surrounding them. But, especailly tears of sorrow, knowing that without Dumbledore's help in battle, that they wouldn't succeed.  
  
"You know that I'll be there," Remus responding, casting his glance toward Minerva.  
  
"And I," she said, "will do what I can to help."  
  
"So will we."  
  
Casting a glance toward the door, which was once again open, the room saw new faces entering. All of the Weasleys, along with Hermione, and oddly, the Dursleys.   
  
"What?" Ginny was speechless, looking around at all of her brothers, friends, and family, "How?"  
  
"Petunia told us," Molly said, "not too long after the two of you left."  
  
Harry was puzzled, "You went against our wishes, and told them?" he asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You completely disregarded everything that we asked of you?" Harry's voice kept deepening, sounding darker and angrier with each question and each response.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You went behind our backs, and brought everyone here, to us?"  
  
"In a way, yes."  
  
Looking around the room, everyone was nervous about how Harry was reacting. He was so upset, so hurt. But, still he questioned his Aunt. "And, you came here, to the wizarding world to stop us?"  
  
"No," Petunia said, "not to stop you. We came here to help you."  
  
"Thankyou."  
  
"That's it?" Vernon asked, "All of those questions, and that's it? You aren't even angry at us for what we did?"  
  
"No," Harry replied, "I'm not."  
  
"How can we be?" Ginny asked, "You risked losing your relationship with the two of us, which I know means something to you, and you came here, to help us. Your greatest fear is magic, and yet here you are, surrounded by it."  
  
"And, you brought reinforcements!" Harry said, laughing slightly.  
  
"You did what you had to do," Ginny giggled, "to protect us, and our children. Thankyou, Harry and I really appreciate it."  
  
"Well," Petunia said, walking to Ginny and giving her a hug, "I don't know how much we can do-"  
  
Ginny cut her off, "But you're here, and that is what matters the most."  
  
"Ginny," Molly said, "I can't believe that you two would lie to us, run off, after giving birth no less, and try to take on the Dark Lord."  
  
"Mum. I'm sorry, but-"  
  
"Do you think that we're going to let the two of you have all of the adventures alone?" Ron asked.  
  
"We're a team," Hermione said, standing next to Ron, "and we always will be. You can't just go and forget that when you feel like it."  
  
"We won't do it again!" Ginny said, bringing Hermione into a tight hug. Harry and Ron just exchanged hand shakes.  
  
"Now, since that is done with," Fred said merrily.  
  
"What's the plan?" George finished.  
  
"We don't have one."  
  
"Gin, you told us that the last time we asked, but here you are having a secret meeting in Dumbledore's office," Percy said.  
  
"Look, Harry and I didn't feel it necessary to involve all of you in the situation."  
  
"How can we not be involved?" Bill asked his sister, "We're family!"  
  
Harry realized that this wasn't going to be an easliy forgiven and forgotten subject. "We know that, and we're sorry for lying. It's just, we didn't want any more people in harms way. Every year something happens, and every years someone ends up hurt," Harry released a sigh, "or dead."  
  
Ron, decided to act incase Harry went into a depressive mode, said, "It's not your fault, Harry."  
  
"I know," he replied, chuckling at the memory of his last lecture from Ron, "believe me, I know. But that doesn't stop me from wanting protect everyone."  
  
"But, you can't control us, Harry," Hermione said, "We're your friends, and we want to help."  
  
"We're going to help," Charlie added, "and you can't stop us. We're family, bonded through thick and thin."  
  
Ginny, realizing how much most everyone wanted to rush the 'cabin' in the forest, was suddenly struck with what her brother said. "Bonded," she whispered. "Merlin! That's what he meant!" she exclaimed to Harry, who was clueless to her sudden onset of ranting.  
  
"Ginny," he said, "what are you talking about?"  
  
As if in a dream, Ginny started to repeat things directly from her memory. "They will be much more powerful, and capible of greater things than this world has seen since the begining of magic itself."  
  
"What?" Harry whispered, unable to force his voice louder.  
  
"That's what he said. That's what he told me, before they were born. The connection, wasn't formed between the two of us, Harry," Ginny said, taking his hand, "it never was. The connection, the bond was formed between the twins. This whole time."  
  
"But, I don't understand what that has to do with any of the things we're talking about." Harry said.  
  
"Professor," Ginny said, turning to McGonagall, "Is magic stronger in clans, or families?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"If members of the same family were all gathered together, fighting the same cause, would thier magic be stronger?" Ginny elaborated.  
  
"I guess so, but I don't see wh-"  
  
Ginny cut her off, asking a follow up, "And, would you say that it is perhaps because of some sort of bond?"  
  
"Well," McGonagall thought for a moment, but then concluded, "yes."  
  
Suddenly, Ginny whirled around and faced Harry again, leaving her professor completely in her dust. "Then that's it."  
  
"What's it Ginny?" Harry asked, "You're confusing me."  
  
"The bond that the twins share, was purposely done to connect them." The room stared at her blankly. To them, she was babbling, talking in circles. But, in her mind, she made perfect sense. "Ugh!" she groaned, "How can I make you all understand? Maggie and James," Ginny started, "they are the perfect weapon. Their powers work off eachother, feed off eachother. It's proven that twins are connected, right? Like by thoughts?" she directed her last set of questions at her brothers, the twins, who looked at eachother and nodded, "Now imagine if you could share your magical energy! In battle, lets say, one could keep up defenses, while the other took the offense. Unlimited powers, -"  
  
"Ginny!" Harry interrupted her, "Ginny, breathe, we get the point." He took her by the shoulder to calm her down.  
  
"But, don't you see," Ginny asked, looking up into his eyes, "In the battle of good versus evil, he will use them." Tears flowed openly down her face, but she didn't blink at them. "He will use them against you."  
  
"Then we need to stop him." For the first time since he was originally asked, Dumbledore spoke.  
  
"Did you say 'we' Professor?" Harry asked, holding a distraught Ginny.  
  
"Yes, Harry," he responded, "I did say we."  
  
"Now that we know whose attacking, the question that still remains is, how?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Ginny," Harry said, squeezing her tighter, "I'm not sure."  
  
"I think I have an idea," Dumbledore said, picking up the map from his desk, "Remus?" he asked, "Did you make the specific modifications to the 'new' map that I asked for?"  
  
"Yes," he replied, suddenly cheering up, "I did, and I think I know what you're thinking. And, you're absolutely right."  
  
"Will someone clue in the rest of us, please?" Ron asked, tired and confused for the previous session of babbling done by Ginny.  
  
"I completely forgot that I put it in there!" Remus exclaimed happily.  
  
"Put what in where?" Hermione asked.  
  
"A port key system," Remus said, feeling like a kid in a candy store, "that takes you to anywhere on the map. It works kinds of like a teleportation system."  
  
"How does it work?" Ginny asked eagerly.  
  
Within the next half hour, everyone was coming up with more and more ideas. However, each idea also had it's draw backs, as Percy liked to point out. It wasn't until another hour later that everyone had agreed upon the method in which to do things. Capes, wands, cloaks and brooms were retreived. Potions and concoctions were made and distributed. Every plan had a back-up, and a back-up for it's back up. Pairs, trios and groups were formed. They analyzed the movement of the guards, when they switched and where they went. Every weakness that could be spotted was found and detailed into the plan (with a back-up, just for precaution).   
  
In the following hour, a few other members of the Order of the Pheonix was flooed and owled, one by one. Each arriving within minutes of their contact time. By the time everything was set, the room was overflowing with people. It was amazing how everything just came together.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: I know that some of you think that my last few chapters have been nothing but mindless descriptions, but they really do make the story better, at least for me. One, they draw better pictures for me to use in my future chapters. Two, it gives me a chapter, buys me some time with all of you. And, three, it's all I can think of to write. Trust me, it will all be worth it. I have an excelent ending in the works, one that will be a great ending to this story and a perfect begining to the next. 


	55. Moments of Battle

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE: MOMENTS OF BATTLE  
  
"Alright," Remus said, "here's how it works. Tap your wand three times against the place you want to go, but make sure-"  
  
"Make sure that you are zoomed close enough in to be certain of the exact location you are going to appear in," Ron said, cutting the man off. "You've told us this a hundred times Professor."  
  
"And everytime you try it," Remus retorted, "You land a full room away from where you were aiming."   
  
Ron ignored the laughs that the rest of his group was giving him as Professor Lupin left the room. Turning to the other three present, he said, "You would think that two hundred percent would be good enough-"  
  
"Well, it's not, and you need to remember that or you'll ruin the entire operation." Hermione, who had the unfortunate luck of being Ron's partner, was getting tired of being lectured about how to use the portkey system of the new maps. She, unlike Ron, had gotten it right the first time. (Were you expecting anything less of her?)  
  
"It's just like being in Hogwarts," Harry joked.  
  
"We are in Hogwarts," Ginny said, "but you're right. It's just like all of the other adventures that the three of you have been on."  
  
"Except," Ron said, "now our team consists of four people. Not three."  
  
"Yes, and it always will be the four of us, sharing our adventures together," Harry spoke, taking Ginny into his arms and hugging her tightly, then placing a soft kiss on her forehead.  
  
"You know," Ron laughed, holding Hermione around the waist, "I would think that for a couple about to embark on a mission to save their newborn children from the Dark Lord, that you would be more passionate."  
  
Hermione, confused by his meaning, took a step back, and gave him a questioning glare, "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Think about it Mione," he said, again closing the distance between them, "they've got children. If this was a normal situation, they'd be doing a little more than giving and receiving kisses on the forehead."  
  
"Funny Ron," Ginny said, "really funny."  
  
Harry thought about what his best friend had said for a moment, "Isn't it ironic?"  
  
"Hardly," Hermione responded, "based on the circumstances, it's perfectly logical as to why-"  
  
"Hermione," Ginny interrupted, "it was a joke. Please don't take it any farther than that."  
  
"I was just saying that-"  
  
Hermione, thankfully, was interupted by a sudden beeping. "Team one, here." Harry spoke, not to anyone specific.  
  
"Harry, is the rest of your team ready to go?"  
  
"We've been standing by for our orders from you," Ginny responded.  
  
"Use your maps to relocate to headquaters for somelast minute training."  
  
"We're on our way," Harry said, removing his map from his pocket.  
  
"You know," Ron said, unfolding his map, "it's going to be hard to get used to hearing your aunt's voice in my head."  
  
"Well, it's the only thing that the Dursley's can really do to help, since they aren't witches or wizards."  
  
"Still Harry," Hermione added, "It's going to be weird having all of our orders relayed to us by them."  
  
"Trust me," Harry said, "You'll get used to it."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
One by one, the four teenagers appeared in the headmaster's office, also known as 'Headquaters.' There, sitting at Dumbledore's desk was Petunia, with a large box on the desk's surface infront of her. It was covered in buttons of different colors, each with a name beside it. An alarm sounded, similar to the beeping that the teens had heard earlier, and Petunia reached over to a blinking button labeled 'Observation Team 3' and pushed it.  
  
A voice filled the room, and was recognized as Percy's, speaking in a military style. "Observation Team 3 reporting," he said.  
  
"What have you found out?" Ginny asked.  
  
"The shift changes are still the same."   
  
"And what would that be?" Ron asked, not knowing what 'same' meant exactly.  
  
"None."  
  
"Wait a second Percy," Harry said, "What do you mean by 'none?'"  
  
"I mean that they don't change posistions, or rotate guards." Percy was using 'his tone' that he used whenever he was trying to be superior. But, he used it so much, that everyone who knew him, recognized it right off the bat, and tuned most of the things he said out. "Every once and a while another will come and join the Death Eaters that are already standing guard, but for the most part everything stays the same. Haven't the four of you been keeping up with all the reports?"  
  
"The children," Dumbledore replied as he closed the door, "are not being giving reports."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because Mr. Weasley, the only thing they are to be concerned with is retrieving the twins and returning to headquaters. Keep up your watch and keep us posted on any new information."  
  
"Yes sir." At Percy's last words, Petunia pushed the button, returning the room to silence.  
  
"Professor," Hermione asked, "Why exactly aren't we being informed of things that are going on out in the field?"  
  
"As I told Percy, you are only to worry about the information that concerns you. If we were to give you more information, then you would be mostlikely to use it," Dumbledore said, glancing specifically at Harry, Ron and Hermione, then turning to one of the Order members who were standing by to give the group their final orders.  
  
"Are you kids ready?"   
  
Ron took the opportunity to speak for everyone, "Let's just do this and get back here."  
  
"Now, there is one last thing that I must express to you," the man said. "There is only one mission that you four should be concerned with, and that is saving those infants."  
  
"We know all of this," Hermione said, "we've been told over a thousand times not to deviate from the plan."  
  
"What I'm trying to say is that those twin are the only rescue mission than any of us are concerned with. That means that who ever gets to the twins first, gets them out. There won't be any showboating going on. If you fall behind, you get left behind."  
  
"So you're saying that we shouldn't stop for anything?" Ginny asked.  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Well," Harry said, "what are we waiting for?"  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: Sorry about the HUGE delay. The holidays are so hectic, and now basketball has started I'm spending two days out of the week at games taking stats. PLUS, as if this list couldn't get any bigger, I've been working on my scripts at FictionPress.com, preparing one of them for submission into a writing award. So, to make a long story longer, I've been working harder than hell to make time for this story, but with winter break coming up, teachers are trying to get all of the tests and reports done in the next two days. Life is a little stressful right now, but I'm relaxing, knowing that I've finally found some time to write, and that I'm going to have two weeks off to reherse my music and finish writing this story. Yes, that's right, I hope to have this story done before the new year. (Notice how I said HOPE.) Thanks for all of the great reveiws. Your support really keeps me going. 


	56. Heated Discussions & Decisions

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY SIX: HEATED DISCUSSIONS & DECISIONS  
  
The four tapped the maps as they did before, but this time they were zoomed into a new location. Inside and about six rooms down from their target. The plan: to wait until the distraction occurred that removed all of the Death Eaters from the twins' room, and then go in to rescue them. It was planned, as a backup, that if Voldermort happened to be in or enter the room while the were opperating their mission, that they would play a full court game. Hermione and Ginny would play offense and get the twins, while Ron and Harry would defend the 'baskets' containing the children.   
  
As they appeared, they all rushed to the closest window and watched as members of the 'Good Guys' appeared by the dozens outside of the house. They could hear hurried footsteps rush down the hall and towards the exits. All minions of the Dark Lord were going to join in on this battle. Except one. One who silently opened the door while there backs were turned. One who stunned Hermione, disarmed Ron and set some sort of a orb into both Harry and Ron's arms. When Ginny was targeted, he didn't expect the heroic Harry Potter to come to the rescue (this one must have be foreign). Leaping in front of a petrifying spell, and falling to the ground ridgid.   
  
The quickness of Harry's actions however, amazed the one Death Eater, giving Ginny a clear shot to petrifying him as well. With danger knocked out, for the moment, Ginny quickly got Hermione on her feet, with instructions to return to headquaters with Ron to be treated for their injuries.   
  
"What about you and Harry?" She asked, removing her map.  
  
"I'll take care of Harry," Ginny said, "This mission must be completed Hermione, tonight."   
  
With a nod, Hermione called for Ron's wand placed it in his hand. Together they disappeared from the room, leaving only Ginny and Harry. But, with a lifeless gleam in her eye, she decided to follow orders as given. Those who fall behind, get left behind. "But you're not behind, are you Harry? Not yet." Checking the hallway for any other Death Eaters, Ginny floated their attacker to a nearby chair, binding him to it.  
  
She turned to Harry, casting a sort of cold and empty stare. "I'm sorry Harry," Ginny whispered to his motionless figure that lay beside her feet, "but if... if I don't do this, then I'll be disobeying the rules." She looked into his eyes. They were tear stained, as if they had been betrayed by what they had gazed upon. "You know that I am all for breaking a rule or twenty, but there is more than detention or house points at risk here, Harry." Her eyes were tear stained, as she spoke to him. She could see it in his eyes that he wanted nothing more than to be beside her when they went to save their twins. "If I continue, if we continue together, this injury will slow you down. And, then you will fall behind, so I would have to leave you behind because the rules aren't meant to be broken. Not this time. I have to do this alone. I can't risk you on top of all of the other things that I might loose."  
  
Slowly, she leaned down ever so closely to his ear opposite her. As if creating a breeze, she spoke to him. "I honestly swear my intentions are of love-" she backed away to look into his eyes. They were eerie, being the only part of his entire body that could move, and they begged her not to do what she was about to do. Swiftly, her gazed switched to a light that was streaming from a piece of paper that was lying on the ground beside his head. Picking up his hand, which still clutched his wand, she tapped a zoom box three times. Dropping his hand onto his map, she leaned back in to place a softly upon his lips.   
  
As he disappeared, she wispered the completion of her previous sentance, "for you."   
  
When he was out of harms way, in the safety of 'Headquaters,' she removed her own map and after all of the spectacular works were finished, she looked at the room she was about to enter. Three dots. Removing her earpiece, and tossing it behind her, she took in a deep breath to prepare herself. Placing her hand upon the doorknob, she spoke only four words to herself. "Bring it on Tom."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Tell me, Miss Weasley," Vodermort said, allowing the girl to struggle to her feet via the doorknob, which was securely locked, before striking down upon her again, "where is the rest of your team?"  
  
Ginny knew that she couldn't reveal the mission. "What do you mean, my 'team?'"   
  
The Dark Lord began to slowly revolve around the twins' bassinets, and Ginny, as if sharing in a dance, began to move in the same way. "Your brother," he took a step to the right, "his girlfriend," she countered left as he continued speaking, "and Larry-"  
  
"Harry."  
  
"Oh yes," he hissed, placing a hand inside one of the cradles, "Harry Potter. How could I forget him?"  
  
"I don't know," Ginny replied sarcastically, her knuckles, though slightly bloody, turning white in anger, "I mean, he was the infant who destroyed your legacy."  
  
With lightening reflexes Voldermort had his wand raised to Ginny's heart, stabbing it into her chest. "You should watch your attitude Weasley."  
  
"And you should be careful about who you threaten." Glancing toward his hand, which had a firm grip on his wand. Slowly, as if taunting him, she returned her gaze. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you Riddle," she spat. "You kill me, you'll never be able to get near them." Ginny gave a slight chuckle when she noticed a slight pressure being removed from her chest. "Do you really think that you would be able to take another beating from a Potter infant, let alone two of them?"  
  
"Who says that I was planning on killing you? Keeping you here as a nanny seems more fitting since you don't have a way out of here." Reaching into his robes, Voldermort removed a folded piece of paper, and although it was blank, Ginny knew it was exactly what she needed. The map.   
  
A sudden panic that washed over her, knowing that he was right, and she had to struggle to keep her composure. Ginny spoke slowly, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Someone will come for me."  
  
"But, you see," he hissed, "if you try to leave with the children, I'll be forced to kill you. I've been working for far too long to regain my hold over the world of magic, and I've finally have a sure fire way to do so, and I will not allow you to ruin that for me. I'd have to start by killing the children first-"  
  
"You wouldn't!" Ginny shouted, "You need them for your 'master plan.'"  
  
"Ah, but my master plan, as you put it, also involves staying alive. In a way, I'd be solving a problem before it happens. Letting you take them out of here, alive, would give your 'side' the power," he explained. "A weapon is better off destroyed than in the hands of your enemies."  
  
"They are not weapons!"  
  
"Excuse me," Voldermort said, leaning to one side, as if bowing humbly for forgiveness, "I meant tools of destruction."  
  
"They are my children, and I will die before I allow you to corrupt them."  
  
"That can be arranged Ms. Weasley, quite easily. With a snap of my fingers, a flick of my wrist, I can have you killed."  
  
"Too much of a coward," Ginny challenged, "to kill me yourself. Pity that you're such a pansy." The blood in Voldermort's face began to boil. Everytime Ginny commented, she knew that eventually he would be pushed over the limit, but she couldn't help herself. "Your only strength is the fear you instill. But, you're losing that hold, aren't you? Magic folk aren't so afraid anymore. More and more by the day are coming to realize that fighting you is a better use of time than fearing you." Ginny, stepped forward, staring into the empty eyes above her. "Your side is losing," she said, pointing toward the window to the battle outside. "Sure, you can bring in more Death Eaters, but eventually, you'll run out because no one will be left to join your ranks. You'll be left to fight for yourself. You'll have to face the truth that you are nothing more than Tom Riddle, the son of a muggle. A wizard on a power trip who had to create a name to become anything."   
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Landing with a thump, his heart raced with panic. Suddenly, faces surrounded his vision and he knew exactly where Ginny had sent him. With a few words, and a tap of her wand, Hermione had him moving and speaking again in seconds flat.  
  
"We have to go back!" Harry yelled.  
  
Ron came around from behind him, cradling his injured arm that hung in a sling. "Where is Ginny?"  
  
"She sent me back," he roared, furious, "she's going to face him alone! I can't believe her! It's stupid! It's nieve! It's-"  
  
"Exactly what you would have done if you were in her posistion."  
  
"But Headmaster she'll be slaughtered by that monster!" Harry, still raging, yelled.  
  
Again, Dumbledore spoke to him, soothing the boy all the while, "Why did she send you back, Harry?"  
  
He calmed slightly, realizing that he was taking his rage out on the wrong people, "She said that if I didn't that eventually I would fall behind, and then she would have to leave me. She said that she loved me too much to do that, but that she loved the twins to much to break the rules."  
  
"Quite a noble thing she is doing-"  
  
"Noble? How is it noble?" Harry demanded of his elder.  
  
"She is putting her own life in harms way to protect and save the things that she loves. She is sacrificing all values of self-"  
  
"But she will be killed!" Harry interrupted, "We must go back for her."  
  
"Ah," Dumbledore started, "but perhaps she herself has fallen behind. After all, the rest of her team is here and she is somewhere else. And, as she so eloquently pointed out, it is too dangerous to break the rules at this point in time."   
  
"But-"  
  
This time, as Harry went to protest, he was struck from behind with a spell. Again, he was petrified, but this time it was Ron that struck him. "Sorry Harry, but if my sister is willing to go to all of the trouble to do this, then I'm afraid we're just going to have to let her do it. No matter how defenseless."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore smirked, "your sister is armed with more that she knows."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
A/N: What is this secret weapon that Dumbledore speaks of? Will someone free from the spell, long enough for him to rescue his beloved? Am I getting annoying? [Just nod your heads and smile.]  
  
Hope you liked this chapter. I really really really REALLY liked writing it. I just couldn't stop myself. But, as you can see, all good things must come to a cliff. Or is it end? I don't know.   
  
Stay tuned for the next chapter. It should be up in a day or so. Oh, and of course, SNIZZLE! 


	57. An End to It All

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN: AN END TO IT ALL  
  
"That can be arranged Ms. Weasley, quite easily. With a snap of my fingers, a flick of my wrist, I can have you killed."  
  
"Too much of a coward," Ginny challenged, "to kill me yourself. Pity that you're such a pansy." The blood in Voldermort's face began to boil. Everytime Ginny commented, she knew that eventually he would be pushed over the limit, but she couldn't help herself. "Your only strength is the fear you instill. But, you're losing that hold, aren't you? Magic folk aren't so afraid anymore. More and more by the day are coming to realize that fighting you is a better use of time than fearing you." Ginny, stepped forward, staring into the empty eyes above her. "Your side is losing," she said, pointing toward the window to the battle outside. "Sure, you can bring in more Death Eaters, but eventually, you'll run out because no one will be left to join your ranks. You'll be left to fight for yourself. You'll have to face the truth that you are nothing more than Tom Riddle, the son of a muggle. A wizard on a power trip who had to create a name to become anything."   
  
Ginny kept staring into the black pools above her. Before they were terrifying to look at. She had found them dangerous, as though if her gaze lingered there for too long, she would drown in the depths. Fearing the evils that were locked within Voldermort's eyes, Ginny hadn't really taken a good look at them before. But, now she had nothing left to fear.  
  
"What are you staring at, girl?" Voldermort hissed, showing no reaction in his voice to her words, although the rest of him screamed that he was furious.   
  
"The eyes of a man who has been defeated."  
  
His anger went down at her comment. "I have not been defeated!" he laughed. "I still have your children, I still have you! No one would risk attacking me now, not even your precious Harry Potter," he spat, "or your leader Dumbledore would risk it."  
  
"Strange," Ginny mumbled.  
  
"What is?"   
  
"That a man who claims to be the greatest wizard in the world needs me and my children as his barganing chips to hold his power."  
  
"I do not need you, my dear girl. I just need your children," he said, as he came closer to her. "Greatness is not only measured by power, but by the strength of his mind as well. Creating your children and then taking them was a strategic move on my part. And, keeping you is just a way to ensure success."  
  
There was only a foot between them. Most in her shoes would have promptly passed out by now, but Ginny wasn't like most who had been in this position. She was determined to get her children back. "You appear to have a great confidence, but your only emotion is shame. Your ashamed of what your father was. You-" Ginny was cut off by Voldermort's hand contacting with her cheek. She could feel it swelling, but kept her hands properly at her sides. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of causing her pain. But the blood pooling in her mouth made her want to gag. Feeling the cut with her tounge, she sucked as much of the oozing liquid as she could to the center of her mouth and spit it at his feet. "Did you think that would hurt?" she asked with a slight giggle. "I have six older brothers, a mere slap to the face doesn't even phase me any more. You don't phase me any more. I've been a slave to your will one too many times. First with that diary, then with the entire set up at the Christmas Party last winter, and now, with this entire evil plot of yours. It's getting old Tom."  
  
Voldermort kept eye contact with her. There was only one way to truely hurt her, and that wasn't an option. As long as she was defenseless, he wasn't going to kill the children. "Wormtail! Get in here!" he yelled, deciding to use her own tools against her. As the pitiful man entered, keeping his eyes towards the floor, Voldermort asked him, "Tell me, how do I activate this?"   
  
Taking the piece of parchment into his hands, Peter turned it, examining it carefully.  
  
"Don't keep me waiting-"  
  
"Yes Master, sorry Master," examining the last corner, he noticed something different than what he expected: a small dot, located in one of the corners. Double taking, he gave a quick glance to Ginny, who was keeping a close watch on her children.   
  
"WORMTAIL!"  
  
Jumping, he handed the paper back to his master, and spoke, "Place your wand in the center of the parchment, and speak the password-" his eyes darted back towards Ginny.  
  
"Which is?"  
  
Hoping that he was doing the right thing, or maybe the wrong thing (depending on whose side your looking on from,) Peter took in a slow breath, and then let it out. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"What in the world could she be doing in there?" Ron asked the room, breaking the long silence.  
  
"I don't know," Hermione said, stopping her pacing routine. "Mrs. Dursley?" she asked, "Why can't we hear anything that she's saying?"  
  
"I'm not sure," she answered, "everything with the machine is working, there's just nothing there. Maybe I could try talking to her. If she's there-"  
  
Harry interrupted, "If she's there, and someone's there with her, then we'll be discovered."  
  
"What's there to discover Harry?" Ron asked. "There's nothing here except a bunch of injured wizards. We're just sitting here."  
  
"Don't make me cast a spell on the two of you," Hermione said, breaking up the fight that she knew was about to happen. "Please, will you just stop it! I'm sick of all of it. The less you two bicker, the better. She'll be fine. If I know Ginny, she's just waiting for the right moment to attack."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Ginny did a double take of Peter for a second. She knew that he had noticed the difference in her map compared to the one he originally helped to make. She saw his reaction to it, however breif it was. What was he doing? Why?  
  
"Are you sure?" Voldermort asked.  
  
And then it hit her. Harry and Ron's third year. When all of the dementors were on the prowl at the school for Harry's Godfather, Sirus. Harry had saved Peter's life. Although he regreted it now, Harry created a life bond. 'Peter's paying his debt,' she thought to herself. 'But what is going to happen to all of us when Voldermort gets slammed against the wall like Harry was? He'll know that it wasn't the right password, and then he'll try to get the right one from me. Then what do I do?'  
  
"Yes Master, I am sure. I was one of its creators when I was a student at Hogwarts."  
  
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."  
  
There wasn't an immense burst of light that normally burst from Ginny's map. Just a very large explosion that sent the Dark Lord himself flying across the room. Just an explosion that caused a lot of pain to him, and made him very angry.  
  
'Think Ginny,' she thought to herself, 'Think!'  
  
"WORMTAIL!" the battered man screamed, "Why did you give me the Wrong PASSWORD?!?!"  
  
"I -" he stuttered, "Ma.. master, I.. I didn't! Something must have been done to it!"  
  
"You!" Voldermort said, turning towards Ginny, "You know what's going on here, don't you!"  
  
"Why should I tell you anything!" she said, smiling to keep her nerves from unraveling.  
  
"I'm tired of your games, girl," Voldermort retorted, pulling out his wand. "It's time you felt the wrath of the Dark Lord Voldermort. CRUCIO!"  
  
There was pain coursing through her entire body, and for the first time that night, she heard her children cry. They were there with her the entire time, but for the first time, they actually made a noise. Somehow, although they were crying, it gave her strength. At least enough energy to control her screaming. It gave her a sudden idea, and when the pain ended, it gave her the strength to stand.  
  
"Alright," she said, holding her side, "I'll tell you. Just don't do that again!" Sighing, she reluctantly told him, "The password has changed, so that 'he' wouldn't be able to open it," she pointed to Wormtail, who was now cowering in the corner of the room.  
  
"See," Voldermort laughed, "cooperating only takes a little persuasion. I should have tried an Unforgiveable Curse hours ago. It would have saved us all this time."  
  
"And, it can only be opened by me. Dumbledore had Remus Lupin make the change to it, incase I ran into some trouble."  
  
"And what does it do?"  
  
"It," she paused, "it brings Harry to me."  
  
Voldermort like the idea, "Really?" Smiling, he tossed the piece of parchment towards her, "Open it."  
  
"I need my wand," she said.  
  
Relucktantly, Voldermort tossed it at her feet, but gave her a quick warning as she bent to pick it up, "Try anything, and you children will pay for it."  
  
Nodding, Ginny unfolded the piece of blank parchement. Breathing, she thought, 'I hope this works!' and brought her wand to the paper. "I honestly swear my intentions are of love," she recited, but then, as a white light began to expand from the paper and fill the room, Ginny started to recite a rhyme. "Love's true light and deepest desires brings forth in lovers the purest of fires."  
  
She paused for a moment, to see what effect she was having, and to her amazement, she saw something amazing. Coming out of the map, was the light, but, it was forming the most beautiful pheonix. Continuing she watched, as the creature grew, "Burning deep within each being's heart, it's the passion of stars, an immense work of art." Larger and larger, it took up most of the room when it opened its wings. But somehow, as it grew, Ginny became weaker. Covering her eyes, Ginny struggled to speak the final words of the incantation, "So raw, so pristine, so full of beauty; no evil can withstand its exemplar glory."  
  
Colapsing to the ground, Ginny watched as the pheonix burst into orbs of light, and surrounded both Voldermort and Wormtail. It traveled around the room and through the walls, windows and doors, enveloping all of the Dark Lord's minions. All of the order members who were fighting at the moment were amazed by what was going on. In an instant every evil being became absorbed by the light around them and shooted back to its place of origin. When all of the orbs had returned, it once again formed the gorgeous pheonix.   
  
Ginny had managed to keep her eyes open for that long, but now, as the light dulled and returned to the map, she sighed relief to see that she was alone in the room with her noisy infants.  
  
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Hermoine had resorted to chewing her fingernails, while Ron paced and Harry watched his map.   
  
"Bloody Hell!" Harry whispered, as he watched numerous dots zoom from their battle positions to the room where Ginny and the twins were. And, when all of them disappeared into nothing he became suddenly overjoyed. Rings began to fill the room, and both Ron and Hermione stood in amazement as people started appearing into headquarters cheering and ranting about how everyone had been defeated. Watching the dots disappear off the map and reappear in the room, Harry waited for the people he wanted to vanish and return. But, the only thing that happend, was a dot began to dim.  
  
"PROFESSOR!" he yelled, causing the excitement to stop, "What is going on?"  
  
Looking at the map, both Lupin and Dumbledore didn't notice anything wrong. Except that the twins were still in the room where they were before, and Ginny wasn't on the map. Anywhere.  
  
"Where is she?" Harry asked. "She wouldn't leave them there. But she's not there, and she isn't here! The last I saw of her dot, it was fading. What does that mean?"  
  
Lupin's face changed expressions quickly at the word "fading." He knew exactly what it meant, but he couldn't bare to believe it. All of the evil was destroyed, but did it take Ginny, too? "Harry," he started, "this could mean any number of things. We'll just have to go there and find out."  
  
Instantly, the entire room pulled out their maps and started to zoom into the last location that Ginny was seen at. "I think," Dumbledore said before anyone disappeared, "that perhaps only the family should go. The rest of you need to see a mediwitch and rest up. That was a long and difficult battle that we just fought." Nods were given from around the room, as people exited the headmaster's office, leaving Harry, Hermione and the Weasley family (minus Ginny) to transport to the room.  
  
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Harry was the first to appear, and immediately he found the answers to all of his questions. There, across the room from where the twins were, was Ginny. She was lying on her side, wand at hand. Her map was strewn in the middle of the floor and completely activated. Her eyes were closed, and as Harry called to her, the only response was gasps from the others appearing in the room around him.   
  
Rushing to her side, and falling to his knees, his heart broke. She wasn't breathing, and her skin was pale and freezing. It was like deja vu, and Harry was reminded of when Tom Riddle's memory had nearly killed her. Then, as she was losing all of her life energy, she looked and felt that way. Cold and pale. Lifting her into his arms, as tears fell from his eyes, Harry quickly rezoomed his map and disappeared back to the school, taking Ginny with him. The rest of the family followed suit, Molly and Arthur taking their grandchildren with them, and appearing in the Hospital Wing.   
  
There, Madame Pomfrey was seeing to the wizards and witches who had been seriously injured. When Harry arrived on the floor, with the fallen Ginny in his arms, she dropped everything (literally) and moved her to the nearest empty bed. As family and close friends crowded the bed, Harry looked upon his children for the first time, and it hit him. Ginny would never see them. She would never hold them or feed them. They would never know there mother, and with that thought, Harry broke down. In the middle of the hosptial wing, there was the mighty Harry Potter, on his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, with his best friends holding him like a fallen child.   
  
"What good is it to be the 'boy who lived,'" he cried onto Ron and Hermione's shoulders, "if the people you love them most aren't there to share your life with you?"  
  
"Harry," Hermione sighed, "you need to be strong now. For your children."  
  
"Children who will grow up without ever knowing their mother's touch," he responded in rage.  
  
"Harry-"  
  
"No," he said, "I won't let that be the end."  
  
"What can you do?" Ron asked, wiping a tear from his own face.  
  
Harry stood, "Grant Ginny her one wish."  
  
"What was that?" Molly asked as Harry took Maggie and James away from her and her husbad.  
  
"Holding her children."  
  
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A/N: Another chapter should be up shortly, and just so everyone knows, I'm planning on Chapter 60 being the end of this installment of the story. Thanks for the great reviews, and I'm sorry about... well cliffhangers, and making the story really sad and such. Please review, and tell me if you think that what I've written was horrible. I want to know. But, don't forget to search the story for a brighter day. There just might be one! 


	58. A View From the After

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT: A VIEW FROM THE AFTER  
  
All of the order members who were fighting at the moment were amazed by what was going on. In an instant every evil being became absorbed by the light around them and shooted back to its place of origin. When all of the orbs had returned, it once again formed the gorgeous pheonix. Ginny had managed to keep her eyes open for that long, but now, as the light dulled and returned to the map, she sighed relief to see that she was alone in the room with her noisy infants.  
  
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When Ginny reawoke, she had this strange feeling, as if part of her was missing. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Infact, she couldn't put her finger on anything. And, when she looked down, she was hovering over the ground, by nearly a foot. Bringing a hand to her mouth, Ginny realized that she could see through her arm, through her entire body. However, the oddest part of the whole experience, was that she couldn't hear her children. They weren't there, and that sent the greatest well of sorrow throught her being.  
  
The only thing left in the room was two empty cradles and her activated map. There wasn't a body. There wasn't a single other person around, anywhere.  
  
"How am I going to get back?" she wondered. Although, what she would find when she made it back was an even odder question. "They must have taken my body when they came to get the children. But why aren't I in it?"   
  
Searching the room, she found no trace that anyone had been there in a long while. "Wait," she thought, "if I am here, and my body is there, they must think that I am dead." Moving to the window, Ginny searched the glass for her pale reflection, but she found none. "But I'm not dead. I'm still here, alive!"  
  
She began to panic, rambling and ranting about everything that came to mind. "My children! They'll be raised without a mother. And what about my parents, my brothers, my friends! What about Harry? Forced to raise the twins alone in my absence. Sure, everyone will offer to help, but that boy is so stubborn! He won't agree to anything. I'm surprised that he was able to stay away from this room while I was here with Voldermort."   
  
Ginny's thoughts began to weigh her down. She sunk, right to the ground, and there she stayed. Cross legged, hovering mere inches above the floor. "How did this happen?" she asked herself. "All I remember is opening the map, and saying that stupid rhyme! And then... then the pheonix! The pheonix destroyed Voldermort, and Wormtail. But what after that? What inbetween?" Ginny moved towards her activated map. Gazing down upon it, she thought long and hard about the things that had happened in this room.  
  
With closed eyes, Ginny begain to recount events in her mind. From entering the room, to opening her map. "I watched the entire thing happen. I could hear Maggie and James' cries as I feel asleep," she whispered. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. "Why did I fall asleep? Where did all of my energy go?" Searching her mind for an answer. Looking down beneath her, at the empty lines and vacant rooms, she came to only one conclusion. "I've got it."  
  
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"Harry," Hermione said through sniffles, "what are you expecting to happen?"  
  
"I don't know Hermione. Something," he cried, "anything!"  
  
"That's it! I can't take this anymore," George sighed, "We've been listening to those babies cry for the past five minutes, and I won't stand for it any longer." Moving Harry aside, both Fred and George approached the bed where Ginny was laying and removed the twins from her motionless arms.  
  
"What are you doing?" Harry yelled, causing the twins to cry louder.  
  
"It's morbid, Harry. This is hard for all of us," Bill said as the older twins calmed the younger set, "but I think that it's worse for your children. They know that she's gone. They can feel it, and being forced to lay there is just... morbid!"  
  
"Harry, the sooner you accept that Ginny is," Ron counciled, "dead, the sooner you can move on with your life, to raise your children. They are all you have left of her now."   
  
"How can you all just give up?" Harry asked the room. "I know that she's alive. There's still hope, I can feel it! Why can't any of you?"  
  
"Because it's hopeless Harry!" Hermione yelled, "Obviously Voldermort got to Ginny. It caused an effect like the one that happened when your mother died protecting you."  
  
"Then how do explain all of the Death Eaters, and other evil beings that served Voldermort disappearing?" Harry protested.  
  
"Two children, greater amount of love," Hermione rationalized, "the fact that it happened when you were a baby. There are countless possibilites!"   
  
"Where are their scars?"  
  
"Harry, magic doesn't always happen the same way twice!" Arthur argued.  
  
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Changing to a standing posistion, Ginny concentrated as hard as she could on Harry, her family, friends, children and most of all her body. "Let's hope this works!" she said, focusing more and more. Without any doubt in her mind that she would fail, Ginny kept her eyes closed to concentrate harder. She couldn't feel anything happening, but she was sure that it was. Finally, when she heard voices, she opened her eyes. But, to her shock, she was on the ceiling looking down at the Hospital Wing. There were wizards everywhere, but most importantly, there was all of the people she loved in the world. Unfortuneately, they were all surrounding her body.  
  
"Look," Harry sighed, "I know I must sound crazy, but I know that this isn't the end for her. Please, just believe me!"  
  
"Alright," Molly said, reassuringly, "you've got our attention, but what makes you think that she's still alive, somehow?"  
  
"I can feel it, in my heart I feel it."  
  
"Hey," Fred said suddenly, "did anyone else noticed that the twins both went silent?"  
  
"Are they alright?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah," George mumbled, "they're fine. Just quite."  
  
"That seems really odd, since they were both screaming a few seconds ago," Charlie mentioned.  
  
"Do you think it could be me?" Ginny asked, lowering her 'spirit.'  
  
Screams went around the room, as everyone saw Ginny, transparent, and floating down from the ceiling. "That's a definate possibility," Ron whispered.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes?" she responded.  
  
"What's going on? Why are you-"  
  
"Transparent and floating?" she finished. "To be blunt, because all of the energy has been sucked from my body, and transformed into the so called spirit you see before you."  
  
"But how?" Molly asked.  
  
"My map," Ginny replied. "Harry, do you remember what happened the first couple of times I opened my map?"  
  
"Yeah, you almost blinded everyone in the room with that light, but after a while, it stopped doing it."  
  
"Well, it was that light from my map that destroyed the evil out in the woods. Except it was in the form of a pheonix, and this time it only happened when I recited that rhyme that appeared the first time I opened the map," she explained.  
  
"All of that evil, destroyed by a map and a charm?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No, all of that evil destroyed by a map that drained all of my energy when it was activated by a charm," Ginny joked. "There's a difference."   
  
"Difference, or no difference," Harry spat, "how do we change it? How do we get you back into a solid state?"  
  
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A/N: Oh ye of little faith, how easy thou art to accuse. Do you think that I would kill off my favorite character? Obviously Not. Silly snizzlers! Speaking of snizzles, I HAVE OVER 1000 REVIEWS! YAY! This is really cool, because I never thought I would even get over 100 reviews, and now I've got ten times the amount! THANK YOU!!!  
  
COUNTDOWN: Two chapters to go til the end! REVIEW!!! 


	59. A New Awakening

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY NINE: A NEW AWAKENING  
  
"All of that evil, destroyed by a map and a charm?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No, all of that evil destroyed by a map that drained all of my energy when it was activated by a charm," Ginny joked. "There's a difference."   
  
"Difference, or no difference," Harry spat, "how do we change it? How do we get you back into a solid state?"  
  
"I'm not exactly sure, but I have an idea-"  
  
"What?"   
  
Ginny just glared at her brother. She may not have been quite herself, but it was still her, and she still hated to be interrupted. "Turn off my map."  
  
"Ginny," Percy said, "from everything you said, it seems that the map is what is holding your energy."  
  
"Yes," she quietly replied.  
  
"But then if we turn if off," he continued, "wouldn't you, I mean what you are now, wouldn't it 'turn off' as well?"  
  
"It's a possibility, but it's one I'm willing to take."  
  
"What about us, Ginny?" Harry demanded, "What if we don't want to loose you again?" Hesitating, Harry asked, "What if we don't turn off your map?"  
  
"Harry," she said, moving towards him, "I know this has been so hard on you. But, I don't want to stay like this, and if there's even the slighest chance that this will work, then I have to do it. This is what I want."  
  
"Why!" Harry demanded, "Why do you want to risk it? At least this way, we're certain that you'll be alive."  
  
"This isn't living Harry," she whispered to him, "it's not. Sure, I'd be here, but I don't think that I could bear it. Seeing and being around all of the people that I love and care about-"  
  
"What so wrong with that? We'd get to see you, and be with you too!"  
  
"Harry," Ginny said, "you may be able to see me, but you can't feel me. I'd never get to hold my children, or get to pick them up when they fall. I'd be a bystander in every part of their lives. And, eventually all of yours too."  
  
"It would never be like that!"  
  
"Yes, it would. You have to think about it from my point of view. I don't want to be another spirit that wanders these halls. I don't want to be a ghost at all!" Ginny yelled. "I want to be me again, whole. Just try to understand Harry, please."  
  
The air stood on edge as everyone waited for Harry to answer Ginny. There was a tension in the room, one that was quickly growing unbearable. But there wasn't a response, not a verbal one. There was only the sound of Harry's footsteps as he turned and walked out of the room. There was the calls for him to come back, and then the sound of the door closing.  
  
"All of you understand," Ginny asked the remaining mourners after a few minutes had gone by, "right?"  
  
"Of course we do Ginny dear," Molly sighed, "but I can see why Harry is so upset by your decision."  
  
"He had all of this faith that you would come back, even though it seemed hopeless," Ron said. "And then, here you come and grant his wish only to tell him that you would rather die than stay here."  
  
"I didn't say that! I don't want to die, but I don't want to live like 'this!'"  
  
"Ginny, you've got to see it from his side."  
  
She thought for a moment. "Ron," she said, "I guess it does seem like I want to be dead, but if you think about it I already am."  
  
"Not to him," Hermione urged, "or us either. You're still here, just in a different form."  
  
"Yes, but in a form that I don't want to be in! Not yet," Ginny insisted. "anyways. Maybe if the circumstances were different, if there wasn't a possible way out of this, but there is! I have to take that chance, I've just got to!"   
  
By the time Ginny was finished, there were tear filled and overflowed eyes all around the entire group. 'If I had a heart,' Ginny thought, 'it would be breaking.' Only Fred and George could possibly understand the humor if their younger sister's thoughts. 'But I doubt that they would at a time like this.'  
  
"If it makes any of you feel better," Ginny offered, feigning a smile, "this might not work at all, and then I'd still be here."   
  
"But then you'd be miserable," Harry said, entering the room, "and that would be worse that loosing you."  
  
"What are you saying Harry?" Ginny asked.  
  
"I'm saying that it would be wrong to not allow you to make-up your own mind about this," he answered, removing her activated map from behind his back, "and it'd be selfish of me to stand in your way."  
  
Ginny was in awe. "I thought you didn't want me to die," she said, unsure of his sudden change of attitude.  
  
"I didn't," he said, "I don't. But when I walked out of this room, and went back to that room to get your map, I had every intention of hiding it, so that your plan couldn't even be attempted. I don't want you to die Gin, but I've realized that you're already dead. Sooner or later, if this doesn't work, I'm going to have to deal with that."  
  
"What changed your mind?"  
  
"I walked past the girl's bathroom, Moaning Mertil's bathroom, on my rampage," Harry said, "and I remembered how lonely she always is, and she lives in a school!"  
  
"But she's rather frightening Harry," Hermione said. "How did that make you think of Ginny?"  
  
"Because she's still here," Harry repeated, "lonely, even though when she died she had friends and family, but they eventually forgot her. They left her and moved on, doing the exact thing that Ginny's so terrified that we would do." Harry looked to Hermione and the other Weasley's, "And now that I think about it, I can't be certain that I wouldn't do the same thing, in time."  
  
Ginny floated over to Harry, moving right in front of his line of vision. "It wouldn't be intentional, I know that."  
  
"Just remember that I love you," Harry said, reaching for his wand, "we all love you."  
  
Ginny looked around to all of the faces that were there. All of them belonging, in some way, to her family. Tears stained their faces as they nodded to agree with what Harry was saying. "I love you, too," she told all of them. Looking to her brothers, Fred and George, she saw her yawning babies. Ginny just stared at them, letting her mind move her closer. 'They are so beautiful,' she thought. "If worst comes to worst," she said to them, "I will always be with you."  
  
"You'll see them soon," Harry said, "and then you'll hold them and be there to catch them when they fall."  
  
Ginny was suddenly scared. 'What if this doesn't work?' she thought. All this time, she had said that it would work, she had told them that she couldn't live a life as a ghost. It was Ginny that had begged them to understand, and now she couldn't understand why she was risking giving it all up. "I hope," she murmured, in a volume that she was certain that no one else could hear, while giving a nod to Harry.  
  
Their eyes locked, and for a moment, Harry and Ginny could almost read eachothers' thoughts. Through their gazes, only love could be seen, and Harry gently tapped the backside of her map, turning it off.  
  
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A/N: Two chapters left until the end of the story. However, when I say "the end of the story," I mean the end of the part of the story. I will definately be going back later on and adding in some of the details of the summer with the Dursleys, since that was a major gap in the story. AND I'm planning on writing a sequel. But, at the moment I have to concentrate on other things that I'm writing. So after this story is finished, posting will become stretched out and eratic, until after March 1 (which is my writing deadline). Then, I should be able to write/post back on an ever-other-day schedule.   
  
Oh, and by the way, REVEIW! 


	60. Twisted Sense of Fate

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything Harry Potter affiliated. If I did, I would be sending this off to a publisher...not posting it online.  
  
CHAPTER SIXTY: TWISTED SENSE OF FATE  
  
A/N: You know how in the author's note of the last chapter, I said that there was still two chapters left? Well, I made a very stupid mistake. This is the last chapter in this story. SURPRISE! (Not really) The sequel, which I've decided to title "A Twisted Sence of Destiny" will be out sometime in the first two weeks of March, depending on how my other deadlines and things go. I'll probably be posting the "inbetween-quel" (A Twisted Summer) between then and now, on a sparatic basis. I hope that you like the first part of this story. It's strange to think that when I started this, I wasn't planning on doing a sequel, or and inbetween-quel, or even writing sixty chapters. Thank you SO much everyone for all of your great reviews!  
  
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Ginny was suddenly scared. 'What if this doesn't work?' she thought. All this time, she had said that it would work, she had told them that she couldn't live a life as a ghost. It was Ginny that had begged them to understand, and now she couldn't understand why she was risking giving it all up. "I hope," she murmured, in a volume that she was certain that no one else could hear, while giving a nod to Harry.  
  
Their eyes locked, and for a moment, Harry and Ginny could almost read eachothers' thoughts. Through their gazes, only love could be seen, and Harry gently tapped the backside of her map, turning it off. The entire room watched as the light from Ginny's map dimed, only to expand. The light, which was only a fraction of the original light that obsorbed Voldermort and his followers, began to swirl around in a circle, creating a typhoon directly below Ginny's 'spirit.' It spun, faster and faster and faster, sucking her into it.   
  
Her fear took over her as she was pulled into the vortex, spinning her, and blurring her vision. She regreted her decision to have the map turned off. "NO!" she screamed as the last of her energy was absorbed by the map. Everyone was stunned, but they were shocked when Harry threw down the map suddenly. More so, they were afraid when they saw that same piece of parchment burst into flames. Although they were brilliant in colors, they were terrifying to look at. It was as if they were seeing Ginny die.   
  
And they watched, unblinking, as the paper burned into ashes of paper. There was nothing left of their daughter, their sister, their friend, mother and love. Nothing to hold on to, or talk to, or to watch. She was gone, forever, leaving behind all the people who loved her, and an empty shell of a body and a pile of luminous ashes.   
  
"Why are they glowing?" Harry asked the group, "Ashes don't glow, they smolder."  
  
"I don't know Harry," Mr. Weasley replied, "I don't know."  
  
"Maybe she's not-"   
  
"Harry," Billy said swiftly, "Please don't, just don't go there again."  
  
"But I was right last time!" Harry demanded. "Why isn't it possible that I am right again?"  
  
"Because she said it herself that this might not work."  
  
"But Ron, do you really think that there isn't a single chance that she's not coming back again?"  
  
"Where were you just now Harry?" Percy questioned. "Did you miss the entire part of the story when the ghost is sucked into a spinning orb of lights and then the map that held her energy is errupts in flame?"  
  
"No, I was here," Harry whispered.  
  
"I believe you Harry," Hermione said, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Honestly 'Mione, you can't be serious!" Ron was in complete disbelief. "How can you still believe that she's alive?"  
  
Hermione shook her head at Ron. "Because I still have hope."  
  
"Umm, not to interrupt-"  
  
"Not now Charlie," Ron spat, not wanting to loose his momentum in the arguement with Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, well just so you know," Charlie said, "that lifeless pile of ash that everyone keeps talking about is getting brighter."  
  
The argument stopped as, in unison, everyone turned their heads to the ground. They were glowing, and they were getting brighter and brighter. Watching closely, Harry noticed something at the center of the pile, but he wasn't the only one to see it.  
  
"What's that?" Ron asked.  
  
"I'm not sure, but this all seems so fimilar, like I've seen it happen before," Harry said, looking closer at the object.  
  
Slowly, the ashes started to rise as a pair of wings shot out from the mound. But, it wasn't like the wings of a normal bird. These wings had that same radiance to them that the map did when it was glowing. In fact, the wings appeared to be made entirely of a faint light. As they stretched and then wiggle, it cleared some of the mess from around what formed a small head, body and eventually, a tail.  
  
"I know where I've see that before!" Harry exclaimed. "In Dumbledore's office, during our second year."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"A pheonix," he said excitedly. "When they die they burst into flames, and then rise from their own ashes, reborn."  
  
"So does this mean that Ginny is being reborn?" Ron asked.  
  
"At least her energy," Harry answered.  
  
"She said something about the light from her map forming a pheonix, before it destroyed Voldermort," Hermione said, as she watched in awe.  
  
This tiny ball of fluff, that glowed and beamed, took to the air, floating and flying around and about the area. It dipped and dived, floating around the on-lookers. It swirled, under Hermione's robes, tickling her stomach until deciding to exit through her sleeves. It gently caressed the faces of Maggie and James, while it smack straight into the back of Ron's head. Circlces were formed in the air behind the pheonix like pixie dust behind a faerie, but these streams made it's recipients feel grounded instead of lighter than air. It settled their pained hearts and made them feel calm.   
  
The pheonix, although bursting with energy and aching to flutter about came to a dead stop infront of Harry. It hovered their, maintaining eye contact, until Harry raised his arm and placed his hand under the tiny creature, allowing it to rest there. It saddened, bringing the level of joy that recently filled the room down. Beating it's little wings, rising slowly into the air, the pheonix regained it's bouce and fluttered about the room once again, but this time, when it reached Harry, it lightly brushed against his face.  
  
With an increasingly high amout of energy, the pheonix speeded towards the bed where Ginny's body was laying. Nose diving, it headed straight for her, and in amazement, the room watched as it collided with her body, splitting like a wave splashing against the cliff. On impact, it made her tense and caused her chest rise. Her eyes shot open as she gasped for air. But when her body relaxed and collapsed back to the bed, her eyes settled back into a sleeping look of peace. The gentle rising and falling of her chest alerted them that she was breathing, but the pale look to her face made her appear as though she was still dead.   
  
Madame Pomfrey was called, and as the woman moved aside the curtain barrier, they realized that everyone else who was occupying the room was gone. Although later they found out that they had all been healed or sent to another hospital, at the time being, the room had an empty and frightening feeling to it.  
  
"Are you ready for her to be transfered to the morgue?" the tired woman asked.  
  
"What?" Molly gasped. "Poppy! No, no. You've been working too hard for too long today."  
  
"Yes, I have been," she replied weakly, "I should have known that you would want more time alone with her body to grieve."  
  
"Poppy," Arthur said, "open your eyes and take a look. Does she look dead to you?"  
  
Unsettled by the question, but realizing that he had just lost his only daughter, the weary medi-witch, played along with the man. "Arthur, I'm sorry to say that I examined your daughter my-self but an hour or so ago, and I'm afraid that she's-" her face tensed and her eyes widened, "she's breathing! I don't understand it-"  
  
"It's a long story," Arthur started.  
  
"One that you'll have to hear another time," Molly finished, "right now, we just want you to make sure that she will be alright."  
  
Madame Pomfrey took her time, checking and double checking Ginny. "From what I can tell, she's going to be fine," she said as the room let out a sigh of relief, "she's just tired. It seems as though the energy has been sucked clear out of her-"  
  
"You could say that," Fred interrupted.  
  
"But," she finished, "Ginny's going to be fine. Just needs a few days of rest."  
  
"Good, that'll leave time to prepare a room here at school for her."  
  
"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry said startled, "You really need to stop doing that."  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said, "I'll try to remember to make a loud noise the next time I enter a room, so that my speaking won't disturb you."  
  
"Albus, what do you mean by 'prepare' a room?" Mrs. Weasly asked, "She's already got a room, with the other sixth year girls, hasn't she?"  
  
"Yes," he replied, "if she still would like it. However, I thought that perhaps, under the circumstances, that she would rather have a private room. I also believe that her roommates would appreciate it." There was a moment of silence. Everyone was thinking it, but no one was asking it. What about Harry? "There is still the question, though, about what to do with Mr. Potter-"  
  
"What do you mean, sir?" Harry asked.  
  
"You Mr. Potter, being the father of the twins, should take an equal responsibility in caring for them-"  
  
"I intend to!"  
  
"I know Harry," Dumbledore said, calming him, "that's why I would like to suggest that the two of you have your own room."  
  
"Share a single room?" Molly asked.  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
"Then what exactly Albus?"   
  
"Well, Arthur, I was thinking more of having separate two rooms, with a common room and a nursery. Similar to a 'suite'" he proposed.  
  
Harry suddenly became excited. All the nervousness that was there before was lifted when he heard that the Headmaster wanted to give them thieir own suite. "Really?" he asked.  
  
"Only," Dumbledore warned, "only if it is alright with the Weasleys."  
  
The room, once again, filled with a unbearable silence. "It's alright with me," Fred said, "if it's alright with George."  
  
"Fine by me," George replied, "if Bill's okay with it."  
  
"No problem here, Charlie?" Bill responded.  
  
"Only if Percy doesn't find a problem with it," Charlie said, taking turn in the amusement of the situation.  
  
"Seems rather logical. But Ron's got the vote," Percy reasoned.  
  
"If I get visiting rights, I'm fine with it," Ron said, promptly recieving a smack upside the head from Hermione. "What?"  
  
"I believe that the Headmaster was referring to your parents when he said 'the Weasleys,'" Hermione answered.  
  
"No matter what he was referring to, he said 'the Weasleys.' And, besides this is like a family tradition. A lot of decisions were made like this."  
  
"But your mother and I still hold the deciding votes, Ron," Arthur said.  
  
"Well," Molly sighed, "it's alright by me, if you think it's a good idea."  
  
"I think," he said looking at Harry, "that it's a great idea."  
  
"Then it's settled!" Dumbledore said, smiling at Harry. "We shall begin work on the rooms tomorrow."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, Mr. Potter, that way they will be ready for when Ginny is released from the hospital wing."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Harry?" Ginny asked, slowing to turn around, "Where are we going? We just passed the entrance to the common room."  
  
"Who said that we were going to the common room?"  
  
Ginny got a confused look on her face. Maybe she wasn't processing things as fast as she normally would have been, but she still didn't understand where they were going. "I just assumed that since we're going to be staying at Hogwarts for the last week of summer, that we'd be staying in the tower. But, as long as we aren't going back to the hospital wing, I'm happy. I swear, Madame Pomfrey kept me there for that extra week after I woke up, just to torture me."  
  
"Just be patient." Harry said, leading her slowly around the corner from the portrait of the Fat Lady. When they got to a painting of a beautiful white pheonix, Harry stopped and looked at it for a moment. It reminded him of the pheonix that saved her, and the twins, and it mostly reminded him of the pheonix that brought her back to life. It was why, during the week that she slept, that Harry requested it. A constant reminder of what they had been through.  
  
"Harry, what are we doing here?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Ginny," he said, taking her hand, "I love you."  
  
"Don't be silly Harry, what are we doing here?" she asked again.  
  
"I'm being serious. With everything that's happened over the past year, I've come to realize that I can't live without you," He paused to wipe a tear from her cheek, "and I don't ever want to."  
  
"You don't have to say this Harry-"  
  
"But Gin, I want to say this. I have to say this!" Harry interrupted. "I love you. You've taught me that love is more important that anything else. You've taught to never give up hope, and to keep fighting. You've taught me that 'Love can overcome anything.'" With Harry's last word, the painting behind him slowly creeked forward, only an inch or two, but enough for Ginny to realize that there was another reason for coming to this specific place.  
  
"Harry?" Ginny asked, "What are we really doing here?" Creeping around him and placing a hand on the frame of the picture, she asked him, "What's in here?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Cautiously, Ginny opened the door wide, revealing a stair case. Taking Harry's hand, she lead them into the passage. When they were both inside the entrance, it shut. Ginny jumped at the sudden darkness, but continued to walk up, squeezing his hand the entire way there. At the landing, she found another door, but this one opened automatically, before she even reached the handle. "What in the name of Merlin-" she started.  
  
Gasping, hand to her mouth, Ginny took in all that she saw around her. There was an inviting fire place, surrounded by plush furniture, a beautifully carved table with matching chairs, and five doors that she hadn't been through.   
  
"Welcome home," Harry whispered into her ear.  
  
"What-" she asked, "How?"  
  
"Dumbledore set the whole thing up!" Harry exclaimed. "That door, is your room, which is attached to the nursery, which is attached to my room," he said, pointing to each door as he explained. "We each have our own bathrooms, and there's a small kitchenette through the door by the table. Just wait until you see the nursery!"  
  
"Where does that door lead to?" Ginny asked, pointing to the door closest to the living area.  
  
"That one?" Harry replied, "Oh, nothing."  
  
Ginny looked at him and said, "You're lying. There's something there that you don't want me to see, that's why you're avoiding it."  
  
"NO!" Harry said too quickly.  
  
Escaping his grasp, and running to the door Ginny flew it open, but what she found was breath taking. Looking out through the door frame, she saw her entire family, there, sitting in front of the fire in the Gryffendor Tower.   
  
"So far away," Harry whispered, "yet so close to normal."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"It's strange," Ginny said, as she looked upon her sleeping twins with an undying devotion, "that soon enough, I'm going to be begging for someone else to take them."  
  
"That will never happen!" Harry said.  
  
"Have you ever heard of two a.m. feedings?" Ginny joked, "They're real."  
  
"I know," Harry laughed, "I know, but just because we need a break, doesn't mean that we don't love them any less."  
  
"Never," she whispered.  
  
"You know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Harry took her by the hand and lead her (almost having to drag her) out of the room. "This isn't at all how I expected my seventh year to start," he said, sitting infront of the fire.  
  
"What did you expect?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but this just wasn't it. It's weird, how fate ends up taking weird turns." Laughing softly he said, "Whoever determines fate, must have a twisted sense of it, in our case."  
  
Ginny giggled at him, "It's not the fate that we have to worry about now," she said, "our fate can't do anything else to us. We our children, and eachother. What we don't know is what Maggie and James' destinies will be."  
  
"Let's just hope that someone doesn't plan for them a twisted destiny," Harry sighed, as he held her, in his arms. 'To think,' Harry thought, 'that this is the first time of many times that I'll get to hold her.'  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: Thanks to everyone who kept me going. This is the end, for now. SNIZZLE! 


End file.
